Hasta La Ideas

An unusual collaboration between IDEO, Art Center, Nissan Design America, Troy Lee Designs, Scaled Composites, and L.A.-based Icon Aircraft has yielded the Icon A5 amphibious sport plane, a vehicle that is actually going into production. The 22-foot-long craft makes extensive use of carbon-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites, yielding a lightweight but strong frame, and the wings fold inwards, reducing the 34-foot wingspan to a mere 8.5 feet so that it can fit on the back of a trailer.

The A5, which is referred to by its parent company as a “Jet ski for the skies,” recently won an IDEA award and is slated to hit the market next year with a $139,000 price tag.

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