Goose Creek native unveils folding, amphibious plane

"It's very innovative. It's very impressive," said Earl Lawrence of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, the Wisconsin air show where a demonstration model of the plane, the ICON A5 will be showcased on the ground in its July public debut.

The plane is a beauty, with a bubble cockpit that looks like a Smart car with wings that runs on gasoline.

It's a step up from ultralight flying, a for-fun personal aircraft that has safety features and requires a Federal Aviation Administration pilot's license, so it can be bought with a bank loan and insured.

"Unlike a Jet Ski, where you throw the keys at anybody," Hawkins said, the ICON A5 is serious flying.

Mr. Hawkins, 40, says Icon is "committed to bring back the romance and excitement of flying ... by selling a lifestyle." The chief executive's plan relies on relatively recent Federal Aviation Administration rules that already have certified more than 80 existing or new models of lightweight recreational aircraft.

Supporters of the company such as Vern Raburn, an Icon adviser who pioneered the production of small personal jets, are enthused about the potential. Icon is pursuing a new market and "is definitely going to use sales channels the traditional industry doesn't use," he said over the weekend.

But Mr. Raburn also acknowledged that tough safety questions loom. "They're not brushing it off; it's very much an issue that has to be dealt with."