The Icon Personal Aircraft

Well, now I know what I want for Christmas!

National Geographic Adventure has updated their Adventure blog this morning with profile on the Icon A5 amphibious light sport aircraft, a 22-foot long personal airplane that can reach speeds of 120 mile per hour and can be refueled at your local gas station. Yep, that's right, this plane takes unleaded!

The aircraft is designed and built by ICON Aircraft, a start-up company who says that their goal is to "bring the freedom, fun, and adventure of flying to all who have dreamed of flight." And thanks to changes to FAA rules, they can do just that. While the A5 is not certified to fly at night, nor close to airports with a control tower, it requires just 20 hours of training to earn your flight license.

The plane offers a host of creature comforts however, and seems more like a car than an aircraft. On top of that, thanks to the fact that it can land and take off from a body of water, we all have a "landing strip" not far from where we live. You can learn a lot more about the A5 on the company's website, including plenty of great photos and even video of it in action.

And what will this revolutionary new vehicle cost? A mere $139,000 puts you in this plane today. Not bad, all things considered, but they're not expected to begin shipping until 2011.