Press Release
Cicare 8 Ultralight Helicopter by Indalecio Sabbioni Is Granted the Platinum A' Design Award in Aerospace and Aircraft Design
Indalecio Sabbioni of Sentidosdesign honored for aerospace and aircraft design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 16, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Platinum A' Design Award in the Aerospace and Aircraft Design category for Cicare 8 Ultralight Helicopter by Indalecio Sabbioni of Sentidosdesign, designed for Cicaré. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Platinum A' Design Award Explained
The Platinum A' Design Award is recognized for honoring designs that stand at the forefront of creativity and innovation. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the A' Design Awards, acknowledging works that blend remarkable innovation with impactful societal contributions. These designs not only showcase exceptional artistic and technical proficiency but also highlight their creators' commitment to advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their role in shaping the aesthetics and trends of our time, contributing significantly to the enhancement of quality of life and promoting sustainable development.
Regarding Cicare 8 Ultralight Helicopter
The Cicare 8 is a two seater ultralight helicopter that integrates aeronautical heritage with industrial precision. The design features a carbon fiber semi-monocoque cabin with an organic morphology inspired by feline features to communicate agility. Its structural configuration combines a composite cockpit with a steel space frame. Key functional elements include panoramic glazing for enhanced visibility and a patented adjustable control system. The aircraft fulfills international certification standards, focusing on professional grade finishes and aerodynamic.
About Indalecio Sabbioni
Indalecio Sabbioni is an Argentine industrial designer and founder of Sentidosdesign, a studio specializing in complex product development. For over two decades, he has collaborated with the legendary inventor Augusto "Pirincho" Cicaré, a pioneer in global ultralight aviation. As Lead Designer for Cicaré S.A., Sabbioni is responsible for translating the founder's mechanical genius into usable and attractive aeronautical solutions. His work bridges a 60-year artisanal legacy with modern technical rigor, focusing on functional simplicity across the aeronautical, naval, and urban mobility sectors.
About Sentidosdesign
Sentidosdesign is an award-winning design studio specializing in advanced mobility, aircraft design, and minimalist product concepts, known as the designer behind Cicaré helicopters.
Award Record
This recognition makes Indalecio Sabbioni of Sentidosdesign a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Aerospace and Aircraft Design Award
The A' Aircraft Design Award is an international aircraft design competition recognizing good aircraft designs by best aircraft designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to aircraft designers, aerospace engineers, aircraft manufacturers and aircraft brands from all countries. Typical entries include jets, helicopters, gliders, drones, seaplanes and airships. The awarded aircraft designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/aircraft
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/180882
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/180882
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!180882
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/379701
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/3MLNplr
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Cicare 8 Ultralight Helicopter
- Function
- Ultralight Helicopter
- Category
- Aerospace and Aircraft Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Automotive
- Colors
- Cornflower Blue, Steel Blue, Light Steel Blue, Light Blue and Light Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Cicaré
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Indalecio Sabbioni
- Country
- Argentina
- Brand
- Sentidosdesign
- Recognition
- Platinum A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #180882
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Cicare 8 transforms aeronautical engineering into a sophisticated industrial product. The design introduces a new brand identity through a carbon fiber semi monocoque cabin that balances aggressive aesthetics with functional ergonomics. Key contributions include optimized internal volumes for comfort and expanded glazing for panoramic visibility of the skid tips. The digital workflow ensures surface continuity and high end finishes. By exposing the tubular tail the design maintains the brand DNA with an honest structural aesthetic that emphasizes lightness and agility.
- Inspiration
- the cicare 8 is inspired by the engineering of augusto cicare, translating a 60 year heritage of artisanal excellence into a sophisticated industrial product. the design finds its motive in feline facial features, where window frames resemble the alert eyes of a predator. this organic morphology creates an aggressive profile that communicates agility and establishes a unique identity. driven by market demand for side by side seating, it integrates carbon fiber and a digital workflow while maintaining the brand dna.
- Research
- The research bridged artisanal excellence with industrial precision through systemic design. The initial phase involved qualitative interviews with directors engineers pilots and technicians. These insights guided the ergonomic optimization of the cabin. The methodology integrated iterative prototyping with advanced 3d modeling validated by flight tests. Results led to a carbon fiber semi monocoque cabin with structural safety and visibility of the skid tips. This research was fundamental in securing global certifications and boosting international sales.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was bridging a 60-year-old artisanal legacy with modern industrial design. A key creative conflict was aesthetic: I proposed a minimalist approach, exposing the iconic tubular tail to reduce weight and costs, whereas the founder sought a fluid, integrated and covered look. We had to balance visibility against structural rigidity while integrating a carbon fiber cabin with a steel frame.
- Realization and Technology
- The cabin is a carbon fiber and epoxy resin semi monocoque manufactured using vacuum bagging to optimize the strength to weight ratio. The structure integrates a spatial reticulated airframe made of aeronautical sae 4130 steel. The tail boom utilizes aluminum 2024 t6 struts designed to withstand high maneuvering stresses. The design utilized a digital workflow from 3d modeling to CNC machined molds ensuring aerospace grade surface continuity and structural integrity.
- Operation and Interaction
- Access is intuitive through wide doors leading to a side by side cockpit optimized for leg comfort. Pilots interact with a unique patented adjustable control system and a state of the art instrument panel. The flight experience is defined by panoramic visibility including a specific design focus that allows viewing the skid tips from the inside for safer landings. The centrifugal clutch ensures a seamless linkage between engine and transmission providing a gradual engagement imperceptible to passengers.
- Project Duration and Location
- the design process was conducted from 2013 to 2015 in saladillo buenos aires argentina. the aircraft was exhibited at major airshows including aero friedrichshafen and eaa airventure oshkosh where it received the lindbergh award for its outstanding fit and finish. in 2016 it earned the sello de buen diseno and the innovar award. a key milestone was achieved with the german ltf ulh certification making it the worlds first 600kg class ulm type certified helicopter.
- Specifications
- Technical Specifications Dimensions: Rotor: 6400mm Length: 6900mm Height: 2700mm Cabin: 2-seater (Side-by-side) Engines: EPA SA-917TI: 135HP (Max) / 115HP (Cont.) Rotax 915 iS: 141HP (Max) / 135HP (Cont.) Weight: Empty: 300kg MTOW: 480kg - 525kg Performance: Max Speed: 157km/h Cruise: 120km/h Endurance: 2.4h Key Features: Carbon fiber semi-monocoque First 600kg class ULM type-certified helicopter
- Keywords
- Ultralight Helicopter, Helicopter, Carbon Fiber Cabin, Aeronautical Design, Two-Seater Aircraft, Industrial Design, Innovative Cockpit, Cicare Aviation, Pirincho Cicare, Indalecio Sabbioni
