Who hasn't been stuck in traffic and wished they could somehow rise above it and fly to their destination? Well, a California company, Icon Aircraft, is trying to make that daydream a reality.

The company has started taking orders for what it calls a "recreational aircraft." The plane seats two, has folding wings and, at only about 22 feet long by 9 feet wide, the company claims it will fit in the garage. The long-term goal — make flying as accessible to the public as riding a motorcycle.

That sounded pretty cool until I started thinking about it a little. If we get people out of their cars and into the air, aren't we just moving the traffic jam? And, if we have more planes in the air and the plane from Icon is analogous to a motorcycle, does that mean it will be weaving in and out of air traffic, flown by older guys with pony tails wearing leather vests?

I'm probably getting a little ahead of myself here because a headline over an article on the company's Web site read, "Icon's full-scale prototype nearing completion." What this means, of course, is the airplane doesn't exist. That's not stopping the company from taking orders, however.

So far, the only thing the company has launched is its Web site. That went up on June 12 so consumers could "place reservations for early positions to buy " Buy what? The Icon A5 amphibious sport plane. The reservation requires a deposit of $5,000. For a limited edition plane, you'll need a $100,000 deposit. What you won't need is a traditional pilot's license.

When it is built, the Icon A5 will require only a "sports pilot" license to fly. This license differs from a full pilot's license in that it doesn't require a health check to be eligible, and it limits what the holder can do in an airplane. For instance, a sports pilot can't fly more than 10,000 feet above mean sea level, fly at night or carry more than one passenger. The license still requires extensive training, but it is much easier to obtain than a full pilot's license.

If Icon's dreams come true, I wondered what the effect of all those new pilots might be on general aviation, so I decided to talk to someone I was sure would have an opinion. I called Bruce Dickenson, a fixture at the Santa Paula Airport and a third-generation aviator who has had his pilot's license for more than 40 years.

"The sports pilot ticket is actually a good thing," he said. "It's good for aviation, and it's good for the economy." And there's certainly no risk of having traffic jams in the air.

"The active number of pilots and airplanes, and hours being flown every year are down dramatically," he said. "It's become prohibitively expensive (to fly)."

Dickenson said that small companies like Icon building airplanes is a good thing for aviation but cautioned that a buyers-beware attitude is a good one when shopping for an airplane.

"Some of em are good, some are not so good," he said.

My guess is that the personal airplane for commuting is an idea whose time hasn't really arrived. But if innovative designs like Icon's bring more people into aviation, that will help keep an American institution alive and, maybe some day, we'll have a chicken in every pot, and an airplane in every garage.

— Contact Star columnist Bill Nash at bnash805@aol.com.