Duluth-based Cirrus Aircraft announced a new partnership Monday with a company that is making a splash with a small "sport" plane that can take off and land on water.
Cirrus expects to add up to 60 jobs at its Grand Forks, N.D., plant as it manufactures a large portion of the ICON A5 amphibious light sport aircraft.
The $139,000 plane is part of a growing trend in easy-to-fly aircraft allowed under a Federal Aviation Administration classification approved in 2004. Light sport aircraft are two-seater planes that pilots can use only during the daytime and in low altitudes out of congested air space.
Training certification for the planes takes about half the time it takes for conventional flight training. It means more people can get into aviation with lower costs, something ICON founder and CEO Kirk Hawkins was banking on when he started the California-based company in 2006.
ICON has taken more than 800 orders on its A5 and expects to begin production next summer. Orders are backed up to a 2015 delivery date.
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The CEOs for both companies talked about the partnership in statements released Monday.
ICON wanted to team up with Cirrus because of its reputation for quality composite airframes in its SR-20 and SR-22 planes, Hawkins said.
"Their extensive experience, specifically in composite sandwich-production techniques, makes them an ideal production partner for ICON," he said.
Cirrus CEO Dale Klapmeier said the partnership is a way for Cirrus to take part in the "growth and future of aviation."
"ICON has hit the nail on the head with the A5," Klapmeier said. "We're excited to combine Cirrus' 15-plus years of world-class composite aircraft development and production experience with ICON's truly exceptional consumer product design and engineering abilities."
The A5 components will be made alongside the production of the Cirrus planes in Grand Forks. The assembly of the A5 will take place at ICON's plant in Tehachapi, Calif., north of Los Angeles.
After slumping along with the economy the past few years, the partnership is one of a number of bright spots for Cirrus announced this year after an influx of $100 million from new owners China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. accelerated its Vision SF-50 light jet program.
It also is making trainer planes for the U.S. Air Force.
