Composite materials made at TenCate’s Morgan Hill, Calif., plant provide ICON’s A5 Amphibious Sport Aircraft with high strength, light weight and outstanding performance in a wide range of environmental conditions, officials with Almelo, The Netherlands-based TenCate said in a Sept. 16 news release.
The A5 — a two-seat, light-sport aircraft priced at $189,000 — made its first successful flight on July 7. Los Angeles-based ICON will make the plane at a plant in Tehachapi, Calif., before moving to a larger location. The plane — ICON’s first — has a flight range of 300 nautical miles and is able to reach a top speed of 120 miles per hour.
The launch of the A5 continues a busy year for TenCate. In April, the firm announced it was partnering with Performance Polymer Solutions Inc. — a high-performance resin maker in Moraine, Ohio — to develop and market prepreg materials to the aerospace industry.
In January, TenCate signed a marketing and development deal with Shanghai-based Leadgo-tech Co. Ltd. to support China’s growing aerospace suppliers.