Navigating the Skies: A Guide to Smooth Aircraft Acquisitions and More 

with Expert Insights

If you have gone through the process of buying a boat or an aircraft, you can appreciate when things go well and cringe thinking about the deal going sideways for a multitude of reasons. The key to most acquisitions going smoothly is getting accurate information from the seller, guidance from the broker, and hiring technicians who are experts in all the various systems that may need to be inspected during a pre-buy inspection. Getting as much data and history as possible will be vital to deciding whether to pull the trigger on the deal. 

Purchasing a unique aircraft that is relatively new to the market adds a whole new layer of complexity to the buying experience. Cessna made over 45,000 C172, so most mechanics and brokers are familiar with the aircraft. An aircraft that has only been available for a few years with less than 200 airframes rolling off the assembly line is a different story. As new aircraft come on the market around the country, finding a network with experience in acquisition, sales, maintenance, and flight training is a valuable resource should you choose that aircraft. 

A great example of this is the ICON A5 amphibious light sport aircraft. ICON Aircraft Corporation launched sales in 2018, but even as the fleet grows, the A5 has a long way to go before it's a common sight at airports across the US. Only select aircraft maintenance shops have been trained and approved to ICON standards, allowing them to showcase an "ICON Authorized Maintenance" sign in their shop. The same applies to approved ICON flight instructors. ICON has a specific flight training program to approve IAFIs (Icon Authorized Flight Instructors) that meet the seaplane qualifications for insurance coverage. There are approximately 45 IAFIs trained in the Continental US.

Due to insurance requirements, seaplane flight instructors are few and far between. Understanding how to safely operate and navigate a seaplane for pilots unfamiliar with the seaplane world is more complex than it may seem. A new realm of aeronautical decision-making skills by the pilot will need to be demonstrated before you can launch into sunset and splash around. 

Speaking of insurance, that sector of the aviation industry has been extremely challenging over the past two decades with rising premiums. Brokers have mentioned that the Boeing 737max crash claims in the billions of dollars affected everyone when underwriters pool their liability together. Also, aircraft sales skyrocketed during the pandemic, and even though accident rates fell across the board in all aviation sectors, the insurance underwriters had free reign to increase premiums because so many aircraft had been bought. Another critical factor is understanding what your policy will look like before you make a purchase. It's a good idea to determine your training requirements required by the insurance provider for solo operations as well. 

For the past three years, all of these factors mentioned have been the focus of Low Altitude Adventures LLC. We have been building our network to include ICON flight training, ICON-authorized maintenance partnership, and partnering with insurance providers to provide reasonable group insurance access.  We are excited for the next opportunity to provide the ICON community with used ICON aircraft sales services. We can assist buyers and sellers with their A5 sales process by making our network available, saving them time and money.

We offer a unique "Bridge to Ownership" program that partners with ICON Aircraft Corporation and allows you to transition into a new A5 aircraft. Join our membership program to gain the valuable experience needed to meet the insurance requirements safely, and we can assist you in purchasing a new ICON A5. For more information on buying a new or used ICON A5, contact greg@lowaltitudeadventures.com or 508.525.2309 Mobile.