Taking to the skies now has new meaning with Icon Aircraft’s unconventional light sport aircraft – the A5.

Kirk Hawkins is the man behind Icon Aircraft, a small Southern California startup that is big on ambition. He envisions that the A5 will spell an unprecedented move in air travel that will allow first-time flyers or pilots to helm their own light sport aircraft after clocking in a minimum of 20 hours of training.

This was made possible after a revision of flight rules by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the U.S., which essentially created a new Light Sport Aircraft category, and made getting a license to fly less costly and more easily attainable.

Designed by a team of designers who have worked at Rolls-Royce PLC and BMW AG, the 22-ft A5 weighs in at little more than 1,400 pounds. The plane is amphibious – capable of taking off from standard runways or on water.

Complete with 34-ft foldable wings, the twin-seater A5 can attain speeds of 120 miles per hour and minimum speeds of 50 miles an hour even at low altitudes.

Other physical attributes that will appeal to affluent flight enthusiasts range from optional retractable landing gear to a 100-horsepower engine that runs on regular gasoline. The A5’s expected cost is approximately 140,000 USD, and production is slated for early 2010.

via The Wall Street Journal / Business Week