EPIC E1000

The cutting-edge pressurized turboprop single is fast and beautiful. And so much more.

One of our two planes of the year is the Epic Aircraft E1000, a 1,200 hp carbon-fiber pressurized turboprop single. The plane is a product of Epic Aircraft, located in Bend, Oregon. It has been under development for more than five years. The model is, for all intents and purposes, a new plane, though its genesis is in the company’s Epic LT kit plane.

The E1000, however, has been extensively refined and features improvements across the board, including a world-class cabin with numerous improvements and creature comforts. The E1000 earned its FAA type certification in late 2019, and Epic received a production certificate for the plane earlier this year. Epic has already made the first couple of deliveries of the E1000, which, at $3.25 million, is about a million dollars less expensive than its main competitor, the popular Daher TBM 940.

And at that price, the E1000 offers a lot, including seating for six, including the pilot, with club seating in back. It’s also wicked fast. At an advertised top speed of 333 knots, the E1000 is a few ticks faster than the 330-knot TBM, and its ramp appeal is arguably best in class. That class, by the way, is a very small one. Its only natural competitor is the all-metal TBM 940. 

The secret to the E1000’s performance is no secret at all. The Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A gives the E1000 a power range that allows it to produce great power across the flight envelope. It is, of course, certified for flight in known icing, with pneumatic boots.

The E1000 also has great range, with a maximum no-wind range of 1,560 nm with reserves. It’s not only the fastest; it’s also the highest flying, too. With a ceiling of 34,000, it has the highest ceiling for a turboprop single, which allows it the ability to utilize RVSM altitudes, those altitudes above 29,000 feet that allow for 1,000-foot separation. Both plane and pilot must be qualified to fly in RVSM airspace, and the E1000 is ready for it. The chief benefit is great fuel efficiency. The E1000 gets up there fast, too, with a 4,000 fpm initial rate of climb.

Avionics are the Garmin G1000 NXi suite, with three displays, including a large central multifunction display, with the Genesys IntelliFlight 2100 autopilot. Even the design of the switches is laid out in an arrangement that makes for an easy, logical flow, just one of the many design choices that Epic made to its turboprop to ease pilot workload. Even the fuel system automatically balances fuel load between the wings and switches tanks automatically, as well.

There aren’t many new airplane certifications these days, so that alone would be and is cause for celebration. But when that new plane is a cutting-edge design unlike anything that came before, one that offers great performance for less, then that’s a big deal. And for that we name the Epic Aircraft E1000 as one of this year’s Plane & Pilot Planes Of The Year.

Pipistrel Velis

If the future of aviation is electric, you’re looking at the future.

In our September issue, we featured the Pipistrel Velis, the world’s first certificated all-electric plane, which earned EASA certification earlier this year and for which production is now in full swing.

Nothing about the Velis is accidental. Every bit of its design is geared toward making electric flight not only possible but also practical. With a two-hour endurance and a reasonable payload, similar to legacy two-seat trainers, the Velis is that practical training aircraft that comes close to making fuel costs go away. The truth, as always, is a little more complicated than that. The batteries are life-limited, and it takes about 90 minutes to recharge the plane fully from a low-charge state, so there’s no slamming in 30 gallons and making a quick turn. How important is that? Refer back to the fuel costs pretty much going away.

So there are compromises built into the plane, but then again, aren’t there tradeoffs with any training aircraft? We’re just so used to them that we tend to forget. High fuel costs, big engine overhaul costs and a marked lack of reliability of the drivetrain are just three of the big ones. All of those are eliminated or greatly mitigated by the all-electric design of the Velis.

And flight schools seem pumped, perhaps a poor choice of words, to get theirs. Already some in Europe are lining up for them, and by utilizing fleets of these planes and their attendant electric infrastructure, the time it takes to fully charge the batteries on one that’s just returned from a training flight can be filled by another identical Velis. That cuts down on aircraft utilization, and that’s an additional cost, but the truth is, gas piston engine-powered planes go into the shop all the time, so the greatly reduced cost of power train maintenance will mitigate the built-in downtime to the Velis as it gets its batteries juiced.

How successful will this first plane of a new breed of planes be? Time will tell, but we do know that in low-margin industries like flight training, when a new technology can reduce the costs of operation, those new technologies are usually quickly adopted.

We’re making a lot of noise about this plane, true, and that’s a bit out of place for the Velis Electro, which at certification became the quietest powered trainer in the skies. And as much talk as there is on the politics of emissions and the problem of our leaded fuel, the Velis is zero emissions and incredibly quiet, both qualities that will help propel light aviation deep into the millennium.

For its pioneering achievement and its contribution to a bigger and better future of flight, we proudly award the Pipistrel Velis as one of our Plane & Pilot Planes Of The Year.

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The FAA type certification of the Epic E1000 has been a long time in coming, coming, seven years and 23 minutes, according to one Epic employee. But who’s keeping track! So if there was a celebration going in Bend, Oregon, last night, our only complaint is that we weren’t there too. It is not every day that a brand new, clean-sheet airplane gets certificated. It’s a big deal.

For starters, the E1000’s performance (look for a full pilot report in Plane & Pilot soon) is nothing short of remarkable, comparable in speed, faster than 325, according to Epic, and range, with legs of greater than 1,650 nm (1,385 nm at max cruise), says the company. The six-seater has a ceiling of 34,000 feet and can reach its ceiling in just 15 minutes—climbing quickly is good not just for speed but for endurance, as fuel flows decrease with altitude.

With a carbon fiber airframe, advanced technology in the cabin, including a very passenger environment and electronically dimming windows, the E1000 is the only FAA certificated all-composite single-engine turboprop in the world.

It hasn’t been easy to get to this point. As we’ve reported in the past, the E1000 is the culmination of a long, sometimes circuitous pathway for Epic, which has sold kits for hundreds of a homebuilt version of the E1000. But the company has been through hard times, including a former company head, Rick Schrameck, who was fired by the company board and was later convicted of embezzlement. And Epic has been owned by multiple companies along the way, including a Chinese investment group. Epic’s current ownership is Russia based. 

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The company has been remarkably stable for the past many years, nearly a decade, in fact, and CEO Doug King has chosen several paths, including limiting development of new models and taking a slower, surer path to certification that helped the company to earn the FAA okay for the airplane as Epic originally envisioned it. “We had some opportunities to speed things up along the way,” King said on Thursday, “to get certification earlier. But that would have required some tradeoffs that we weren’t willing to make. We consider performance to be our brand, so we decided to make it perform. And we did!”

Epic has seven conforming airframes in production with two shifts at work building the planes. The company is also currently working to obtain a production certificate for the E1000, which it expects to earn early in a matter of months, which will then allow first deliveries, a milestone that will surely be worth of additional celebration.

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In some ways, the year 2019 was a remarkable one in aviation, but when it came to new plane introductions, it was, well, a continuation of a familiar trend. In the Part 23 world, there were no newly certificated planes, though at least one looks like an outside shot at getting approved by the end of the calendar year. Other emerging designs look as though they won’t make it. Some are being pushed out to 2020 and beyond, which is the way things are in the brave new world of airplane manufacturing.

The days are gone when each year brought a handful of clean-sheet airplane designs, high-flying models launched at Paris or Oshkosh (or Wichita or Vero Beach). Almost every new plane these days is a derivative of a former successful model. With the cost of designing, certifying and then producing a clean-sheet design being so astronomically expensive, while simultaneously the market for those designs has shrunk, it should surprise no one that companies overwhelmingly choose to rework existing designs instead of starting from scratch. This path not only cuts the risk of unpleasant surprises of the aerodynamic kind, but it also helps ensure a market for the new model—if the older version was a hit, then the new, improved one should make an even bigger splash. It often works exactly like that. And, to their credit, many of these updated models feature spectacular new capabilities, often as a result of incorporating a new safety system or powerplant upgrade.

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Our first plane of the year, the Cirrus SF50, is a recent clean-sheet design. When it garnered FAA approval, it became the only certificated single-engine jet in the world and brought with that accolade a remarkably spacious cabin with out-of-this-world visibility and design, and flying manners so user friendly that it made good on the claim to be the jet that SR22 high-performance piston-single pilots could realistically and safely step up to.

The changes in the Generation 2 edition are far from cosmetic upgrades. The latest Cirrus jet features autothrottles, a higher ceiling (up to 31,000 and, hence, RVSM approval), an increase in range up to 1,200 nm, and an attendant boost in useful load of 150 nm on shorter trips. On top of that, the SF50 is faster, too.  

Our other Plane of the Year winner is as far from a clean-sheet design as imaginable, or very nearly so. The Piper 100 and 100i are based on the classic Piper PA-28 design, which the company has spun off repeatedly over the last six decades. The Piper is different, though, than any previous iteration in the way it’s outfitted. It isn’t the first PA-28 to sport a Continental engine, the Continental Prime IO-370-DA3A, which puts out, you guessed it, 180 hp, the same as the Lycoming IO-360 in the Archer model it essentially updates. The 100 and 100i (the “i” adds a back seat position and instrument capability) also boast the Garmin G3X Touch Certified, a development of Garmin’s award-winning flat-panel avionics for amateur-built and LSA aircraft, along with the company’s newly announced GNX 375 navigator and GFC 500 digital autopilot. The combination of the remarkably capable but less-expensive avionics and the new Continental engine allowed Piper to offer the 100 and the 100i for the retail prices of $259,000 and $285,000, respectively, which make them around $100,000 less expensive than the Archer they complement in Piper’s successful training lineup. That could translate to more trainers and more happy, successful new pilots. And who doesn’t like the sound of that?

Congratulations to our Plane of the Year winners!

Click the “Next” button below to see contenders for next year.

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It wasn’t the news that Epic Aircraft had hoped to share at Oshkosh 2019, but it was still really good news. 

The Oregon-based airplane maker, which has copious production capabilities, has made great progress toward FAA certification, which will, of course, lead to the company beginning production and sales of its super sleek Epic E1000. The six-seat Pratt & Whitney powered pressurized single has now completed all company flight testing and has been granted FAA TIA approval for it to begin working the FAA on the agency’s flight test program. Essentially, Epic has advanced to the point where it has shown its plane will hit the FAA’s flight test targets. That FAA program is expected to last one to two months, paving the way for type certification by the third or fourth quarter of this year. 

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Epic president Doug King told reporters on Monday at Oshkosh AirVenture that the plane was consistently hitting 333 knots in cruise, a number that puts it in some very exclusive company among single-engine aircraft. At a price of under $3 million, the E1000 is about a million dollars less expensive than the Daher TBM 930 while boasting comparable capabilities. In addition to its high cruise speeds and low fuel burns, the E1000 will have a ceiling of 34,000 feet, the highest of any single-engine civil airplane we know of. And it’ll get to that rarified air quickly too, with an initial climb rate of 4,000 fpm, it can get to its ceiling in an estimated 15 minutes. 

Look for news on the E1000 here and for a flight report on the plane in a coming issue of Plane & Pilot.

Check out photos from opening day at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019!

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ep·ic   [ep-ik] adj: extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope, majestic; impressively great

Sometimes, a name says it all, and the story of the Epic LT is nothing if not, well—epic. The story starts when you walk up to an Epic LT on the ramp. It’s big, it’s swoopy, and it’s hard to believe that it could possibly have been built from a kit. With exterior dimensions that seem a bit bigger than a TBM 850, the LT looks way too big to be a “homebuilt” airplane.

Even from a distance, the first thing you notice is that the LT looks futuristic, fast and beautiful. The front windshield smoothly swoops back to blend perfectly with the curved lines of the fuselage. Come up close and look along the wing. You’ll see that even the leading edge has a gracefully curved sweep with just the right angle of dihedral. Everything is blended and smooth, and I’ve never seen a single LT where the paint, fit and finish didn’t appear to be perfect. I should mention that I see a lot of LTs because my hangar happens to be next door to the Epic Headquarters in the high desert of Bend, Ore. And, even though I see Epic LTs virtually every day, I’ve never had a chance to fly one. So, when an opportunity came up to take a round-trip ride to Sun Valley, Idaho, I jumped at the chance to learn more about the airplane and its story.

Predawn Preflight
I met Rich Finley, Epic’s flight-test and training pilot on the factory ramp at 5:15 a.m. in the predawn darkness for a preflight tour of the airplane. Preflight is pretty standard for a turboprop airplane: checking fuel, oil, tires and control surfaces. The cabin is entered through a large swing-down air-stair door just aft of the wing. In this particular airplane, the cabin door serves as the only emergency exit, though newer planes also have a window-panel emergency exit on the other side of the fuselage. Large oval windows provide plenty of light, and the cabin feels modern and very large. The four comfortable leather seats in back can be arranged to all face forward or arranged in a club configuration. Ample cargo space behind the last row of seats can accommodate up to 300 pounds with additional space for bags between the pilots’ seats and the middle seats. Fill the tanks with 292 gallons of Jet A (288 useable), and you can still handle an impressive payload of 1,170 pounds in the cabin—that’s six 170-pound adults, each with 25 pounds of bags. This is a true “fill the seats and fill the tanks” airplane.

As I settled into the front left seat, I was impressed by the size of the cockpit—it’s comfortable with plenty of headroom and easy access. The large wraparound windshield provides excellent visibility with no side posts to obscure the view. The leather seat was very comfortable, though it was a bit high for me and it had no height adjustment. Which brings up an important point: The LT has evolved rapidly, so aircraft rolling out of the factory have continuously matured over time. Finley emphasized that current airplanes now include fully adjustable electrically actuated seats. Little things like the seat configuration, switch placement or even big things like avionics may vary from one airplane to the next—depending on when the airplane was built. Today, Epic offers a well-equipped “standard” LT configuration, so that buyers will know exactly what they’ll get at the end of the process. This approach also brings a high level of standardization to the fleet.

Our airplane for the day was equipped with a three-screen Garmin G900X avionics suite interfaced to a Tru Track Sorcerer autopilot and an Electronics International MVP-50P Engine Analyzer. Overall, this combination provided everything needed for state-of-the-art navigation, communication and engine management. The only thing lacking compared to the airplanes being built today was a flight director, so everything is hand-flown with “raw data.” Still, I’m comfortable with the G1000, so the G900X system felt right at home.

Even from a distance, the first thing you notice is that the LT looks futuristic, fast and beautiful. The front windshield smoothly swoops back to blend perfectly with the curved lines of the fuselage.

Another interesting feature in this particular airplane is that the fuel tanks need to be switched manually every 20 minutes or so. It’s not hard to switch tanks—just don’t forget! The G900X is set with an alert to check fuel every 20 minutes.

Taxi, Blast Off And!Wow
Starting the big PTA-67A is standard Pratt & Whitney. First, check to make sure there’s plenty of battery juice. Next, engage the starter motor, ignitors, wait for Ng to pass 12% minimum, then bring the fuel-condition lever to low idle and wait for the power to climb through 50%. The prop then comes out of feather while the condition lever goes to high idle. The whole process normally takes less than a minute. With two standard ship batteries, all of the avionics stay on, engine temperatures stay cool and the start sequence happens quickly. The batteries also provide ample backup power to get back on the ground should the starter/generator fail in flight.

Taxiing feels precise with a “big-airplane” feel, and the castoring function of the nosewheel allows tight maneuvering. Like most turboprops, it’s absolutely necessary to put the prop into beta to reduce thrust so that taxi speeds stay reasonable and the brakes stay cool.

The single air-stair door provides easy access to a comfortable, bright cabin with large windows. The spacious area behind the rear seats can handle up to 300 pounds of baggage.

Before we take the runway and push the throttles forward, Finley reminded me that this engine is flat-rated to “only” 1,200 hp for five minutes during takeoff, and that it’s important to watch all of the engine parameters to avoid exceeding any torque or temperature limits. Keep in mind that all that power produces a strong tendency for the airplane to want to go left, so a good amount of right rudder and attention to where you’re going is important while you set the engine power. Finley suggested that we use 80% torque for the power setting and rotate at 80 KIAS. I held the brakes as I ran the power lever up, and we started to roll as torque passed 30%, so I released the brakes while Finley called out torque and I watched the runway. The airspeed reached 80 knots very quickly, and we lifted off while still rapidly accelerating. The gear-up speed limit is 135 KIAS, so I quickly lifted the gear handle as the end of the runway approached. Raising the flaps and lowering the nose a bit produced 170 KIAS with the VSI showing nearly 3,000 fpm. By FL 200, we were climbing over 1,000 fpm indicating 160 KIAS, using 58% torque and 757 ITT. We didn’t work very hard to minimize our time to climb and still reached FL 270 in less than 15 minutes, which is pretty impressive.

Once stabilized in cruise at FL 270, the outside temperature was ISA+5, and we saw a true airspeed of 303 KTAS with torque showing 52%, ITT at a cool 760 degrees C and fuel flowing at 54.3 gph. Bumping the torque up to 58.7% produced an ITT of 800 degrees C (the limit is 840 degrees C), and the speed quickly increased to 315 KTAS with a fuel flow of 60.5 gph. It always takes more fuel to go faster, so if you want speed, the LT will do it. The published top speed is 325 KTAS. At normal cruise power settings, the LT can cover 1,385 nm, and if you pull the power back to long-range cruise (about 270 KTAS,) you can cover a whopping 1,628 nm with reserves. That’s extraordinary performance—kit plane or not.

The ride feels solid, the cabin stays warm, and with noise-cancelling headsets, it’s a dreamy ride. Without headsets, the particular airplane we flew seemed a bit loud up front compared to other single-engine turboprops I’ve flown. Finley explained that current airplanes include additional sound insulation, which cuts noise levels by 4 to 5 db—more than half. So, newer airplanes should be pretty quiet. As in most fast single-engine turboprops, ANR headsets make for a quiet, jet-like experience.

Deice And Pressurization
This kind of turbine flying involves high altitudes and lots of weather. So, the LT is equipped with deice boots on the wings and tail and incorporates the same heated, four-blade Hartzell propeller used on the Pilatus PC-12. The windshield has an effective defrost blower, and the extreme rake angle of the windshield prevents ice buildup. Finley also explained that the engine incorporates a large intake plenum, minimizing the chance of ice-related FOD and the need for an inertial separator. The prototype inertial separator is flying in the newest LT out the door. Of course, as an experimental kit plane, the LT isn’t FIKI certified, so icing conditions must be avoided and operators are advised to exit any unexpected icing encounters. For weather avoidance, the airplane we flew had NEXRAD data supplied through XM satellite downlink. Onboard radar is an option two foreign builders have installed.

The pressurization system holds a 6.5 psi differential, which yields a comfortable cabin altitude of 7,300 feet at FL 280. An inflatable door seal keeps the cabin tight and a built-in bottle supplies oxygen in the event that pressurization is lost, though there were no quick-donning masks in the cockpit. The good news is that they probably aren’t needed since the LT can achieve an impressive 10,000 fpm in an emergency descent. Simply pull the power, point the nose down and run the speed up to Vmo of 280 KIAS (0.64M), and you can get from FL 270 to 12,000 feet in only about a minute and a half.

In flight, the LT follows the axiom that if it looks right, it will probably fly right.Both the curved leading edges and turned-up wing tips help the aerodynamics. On the ground, the LT sits high on beefy trailing-link gear reducing the possibility of picking up ground FOD. The exhaust stacks are canted up and outward to greatly reduce exhaust stains on the sides of the airplane.

Handling And Landing
Once out of the flight levels, we took the opportunity to sample the flying characteristics. Handling in pitch and roll feels conventional for an airplane of this size—a bit heavy but very controllable. The rudder is lighter and provides ample control authority, so it’s necessary to use your feet and pay attention to the ball. Steep turns at 160 KIAS worked fine, though a bit challenging due to the lack of visible cues out the front windshield—the nose is quite smooth and low in the field of view. We didn’t get to try any stalls, but Finley insists that they’re benign and occur at about 63 KIAS. Setting the power to 6% torque and letting the speed come back to about 130 KIAS simulates a prop-feathered best glide. The descent rate settles around 700 to 800 fpm with a very flat flight attitude. At that rate, it would be easy to make a distant airport in the very unlikely event of an engine failure in the flight levels.

Landing the LT is straightforward using an approach speed of around 100 KIAS on final and slowing to about 85 KIAS over the numbers. Touchdown attitude is fairly flat, and the stout trailing link gear made even my first landing look pretty good. My second attempt wasn’t quite as smooth, but anyone with a little practice will grease it on with no trouble. With prop reverse, there’s almost no reason to use the brakes and the airplane feels very stable even with a lot of reverse being applied. Use the brakes and you’ll clear a 50-foot obstacle using only 1,840 feet of pavement.

Doing It Yourself!How Hard Can It Be?
It seems like there are “kit” pilots and “certified” pilots with little overlap between the two. However, the performance, quality and low completion cost of $1.9 million has made the LT a bridge airplane. The design is stable, the list of standard equipment is extensive, and there’s simply no other “new” airplane of its size and performance available at anywhere near its price. Pilots who never thought they would consider building an airplane take one look and get pulled to the other side. The LT fleet is still small at only 35 airplanes, but today, the factory is full of airplanes working their way through the build process.

Owners typically spend about 14 weeks in the factory checking off 51% of the tasks needed to build the airplane. Note, that doesn’t mean that owners have to spend 51% of the time needed to build the airplane. It also means that builders work at the factory where they’re provided with gobs of expert assistance. Owners typically “finish” a very basic version of the airplane that takes a maiden flight around the pattern after receiving an initial experimental type certificate. After that, the owner can “hire” the factory to do upgrades, which often includes installing things like air-conditioning, avionics, retractable gear, deice equipment, an interior and such. The airplanes I saw in the plant all had exceptional fit and finish. In fact, the paint quality provided by Epic is hands down the best I’ve ever seen on any airplane—anywhere. Epic has worked closely with the FAA to develop and approve the whole process so that everything stays within the rules and owners end up with a high-quality end product.

Today, the Epic factory is full of airplanes working their way through the “production line.” Owners show up everyday on the line as they build their own airplanes. Experts are always available to provide advice or assistance when needed. The resulting fit and finish of every airplane is nearly flawless.

The Rest Of The Story
It’s no secret that the folks who started Epic produced an exceptional design but struggled financially and ethically when it came to running the company and dealing with the FAA. A very public meltdown and subsequent bankruptcy finally happened late in 2009. In April 2010, after a contested bidding process, a federal bankruptcy judge ordered a settlement between CAIGA and LT Builders Group. That settlement resulted in LT Builders Group purchasing all the assets of the old Epic companies and then licensing limited rights to CAIGA. On March 6, 2012, Engineering LLC, a prominent Russian aviation maintenance and overhaul company, bought out the LT Builders Group. They’re currently pumping funds into the organization with the intent of fully certifying the LT, which will be marketed by the Epic Aircraft company as the “E1000” at a price of about $2.75 million. Epic LT Kits LLC will still sell the current airplane as a kit.

A lot has to happen before the airplane can be certified, but company officials are confident that they’re well along and have set a goal to get it done in about two years. The certified airplane will be FIKI certified with an inertial separator, deiced windshield, standard emergency exit, stick shaker, RVSM certification and the next-generation Garmin avionics suite, among other things. So, stay tuned. Epic, the company, not only lives on, but appears to be healthy and growing. If they can certify an airplane based on the LT, it will be an exciting product that will surely shake up the market and provide a very interesting story well into the future.

The post The Epic LT appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Epic LT
Engine:	P&WC PT6A-67A
Flat-Rated Power (shp):	1000 continuous, 1200 takeoff (five minutes)
Fuel Type:	Jet A
TBO (hrs.):	3600
Propeller:	Four-Blade Hartzell, Full Reversing
Propeller Speed (rpm):	1700
Basic Empty Weight:	4400
Max Takeoff Weight (lbs.):	7500
Wingspan (ft.):	43.0
Overall Length (ft.):	35.8
Height (ft.):	12.5
Wing Area (ft.):	203.0
Max Wing Loading (lbs./sq. ft.):	36.9
Max Power Loading (lbs./hp):	7.5
Cabin Length (ft.):	15.0
Maximum Seating Capacity:	2+6
Cabin Width (in.):	55
Cabin Height (in.):	59
Baggage Capacity (lbs.):	300
Useable Fuel (gals.):	288
Full Fuel Payload:	1170
PERFORMANCE
Max Cruise Speed (mph, kts.):	325
Max Cruise IFR Range:	1385
Fuel Burn at Max Cruise (gph):	60
Max Operating Altitude (ft.):	28,000
Max Cabin Differential (psi):	650
Cabin Altitude At FL 260 (ft.):	7,300
Best Rate Of Climb (fpm):	3000
Takeoff Over A 50-Foot Obstacle (ft.):	1600
Landing Over A 50-Foot Obstacle With Reversed Thrust (ft.):	1840
Vso (kts.):	63
Vmo (KCAS):	180
Va (KIAS):	280
Source:	Epic Aircraft

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Colonel O’Keefe would love the Epic LT. In general aviation ranks, Rick Schrameck’s innovative airplane is something else. Schrameck, a Las Vegas–based entrepreneur, delights in shaking up the aviation industry, and Epic Aircraft does exactly that.

The Epic LT is that rare machine, a six-place, corporate turboprop that’s a homebuilt—at least for now. (The plan is to offer it as a certified airplane, eventually.)

Before you scoff at the very concept of a luxurious and turbine-powered machine produced as a homebuilt, consider that designer Lance Neibauer conceived the innovative Lancair IVP as a four-seat, pressurized, piston homebuilt nearly 20 years ago. Some IVP builders have opted for small turbines in place of the standard Continental TSIO-550s on their Lancairs.

Epic’s concept isn’t as far-fetched as you might imagine, despite a kit price of $1.525 million (including a new engine). Such an admission price attracts a different class of “homebuilders”—mostly doctors, lawyers and CEOs.

Epic Aircraft’s chief pilot and vice president of sales, Mike Hooper (left), in the left seat of the Epic LT. A sizeable space between first- and second-row seating (right) allows for reclining or for the installation of an entertainment or refreshment center.

Some 20 airplanes have already been completed at Epic’s Bend, Ore., headquarters, and another 15 kits are under construction. That represents an impressive $40 million in homebuilt turboprops.

The Epic premiered four years ago at Oshkosh and took nearly everyone by surprise. Fit and finish was outstanding for a prototype homebuilt, but I’ve seen a half-dozen other Epics since then, and they’ve all manifested the same attention to detail.

An all-composite design, the Epic LT resembles a more aerodynamic Piper Meridian with a stretched fuselage and a significantly tapered appearance. The slightly elliptical, carbon-fiber wing is a surprisingly thick NACA 012 natural laminar flow (NLF) design. The “012” designation represents a 12% thickness (wing thickness divided by chord). That seems unusually thick for a high-speed homebuilt, but the numbers suggest it works well.

As with so many composite designs, the Epic’s wing is a truly beautiful airfoil, minus slots, slats or other aerodynamic Band-Aids to interrupt its finely sanded, brilliantly polished finish. Wingspan is 43 feet, same as the Piper Malibu, but the chord appears to be shorter, suggesting a higher aspect ratio.

Climb aboard through the aft left airstair door, and you enter a cabin that’s more spacious than most other singles. It’s also a study in contrasts. For a change, the best seats in the house aren’t the front two. The fuselage is about four-and-a-half feet across, providing a wide aisle to the front office and all the elbow room you could ask for. Up front, however, the taper on the sides of the fuselage cuts in a little too quickly. This dictates slightly reduced headroom on the outboard roof for pilot and copilot. Cabin length is more than enough. A major gap between the first and second row of seats allows the seats to recline; it can also provide space for the installation of a refreshment or entertainment center. The extra space between the pilot/copilot seats and aft-facing seats can also fit two kid-sized jump seats or a lavatory.

Folks in the center, aft-facing seats seem to have the best of all vertical and horizontal worlds. Similarly, floor space between the conference-style second and third row is impressive. There’s no reason for footsie between facing passengers, unless they just happen to be into that sort of thing.

Once you’re settled into the front buckets, you’ll note the airplane’s unusual visibility, especially to the sides. The two-piece windshield wraps all the way around to the shoulders of both pilots, à la Learjet, though the Plexiglas isn’t especially tall. Overall, it’s a bright, roomy, comfortable place to fly.

Predictably, the panel is as modern as the rest of the airplane. The first demonstrator I flew four years ago was fitted with a compact and innovative Chelton system. The customer airplane I piloted at this year’s Sun ‘n Fun (the personal LT of NASCAR driver Bill Elliott) was also decked with Chelton avionics. Production airplanes may be fitted with a Garmin G900X flat-panel display with the usual trio of two-inch backup instruments directly in front of the pilot.

Certainly a major part of the Epic LT’s attraction is its “King Kong” powerplant. The LT flies behind one of the most powerful turboprop engines in general aviation, the 1,200 shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A. This is essentially the same P&W that was used on the futuristic but unsuccessful Beechcraft Starship. It’s also similar to the one employed on the current $4 million Swiss Pilatus PC-12, a corporate single intended for the pilot looking for long range and exceptional loading flexibility. The big Pilatus weighs in at nearly 10,500 pounds gross weight and features a huge main cabin that may be configured with up to nine seats (plus two pilots) or, alternately, a cargo area that may be loaded with a forklift.

In contrast, the Epic LT need lift only a little above 7,300 pounds and a 10-foot-shorter fuselage that accommodates six souls in sumptuous comfort. Payload is one of the plane’s strongest points, a feature virtually unmatched by any other airplane. Even with a full load of people, the airplane can still carry full fuel and a little baggage. Specifically, the airplane’s full fuel payload is about 1,200 pounds. Epic likes to use the catchphrase, “Fill it up. Go the distance. Leave nothing behind.”

Despite the heavy load, the airplane sports climb performance in competition with many light jets. Power loading is barely over six pounds per shaft horsepower. All other factors being equal, low power loading translates directly into good acceleration and climb, and the LT’s takeoff performance will flat out knock your hat in the creek. If you haven’t flown fighters or corporate jets, you’ll see numbers on the VSI you may never have seen before. Hold the nose high to maintain 160 knots, and you’ll experience something like 4,000 fpm up on the VSI.

You’ll also lose virtually all forward visibility in the climb. As with most high-speed aircraft, the better compromise is a quicker forward speed in exchange for a lower deck angle. That’s a trick piston pilots have been using for years to keep engines cool, obviously not a concern on a turboprop.

I flew the LT on three occasions in conjunction with this article, and in one departure out of Santa Monica, Calif., ATC granted an uninterrupted climb from near sea level to 18,000 feet. I used 200 knots in the climb, and the result was a consistent 2,000 to 2,500 fpm, relatively unaffected by increasing altitude.

With such upward mobility on tap, the Epic LT’s maximum altitude of FL280 comes up in 12 to 15 minutes. Such abbreviated climb makes it reasonable to file for FL270 or FL280 on practically every flight. Flying high makes turbines more efficient, and that can be the case even when the winds aren’t in your favor. The trade of fuel for speed is simply more efficient in the upper flight levels.

A bright, comfy place to fly, the LT’s cockpit features a glass-panel Chelton system and a two-piece windshield that provides unusually good visibility.

With 1,200 hp on tap and the largest propeller produced by Hartzell out front—a 108-inch diameter, four-blade—to translate horsepower to thrust, the LT might be a logical candidate for flight at RVSM altitudes (above FL290). Considering that the homebuilt kit costs $1.525 million and RVSM certification can add an easy $70,000 to the price, it’s unlikely anyone would choose that option. When the certified Epic Dynasty comes to market (at about $2.5 million), plans are to certify the airplane for FL310 or higher, so RVSM will be an option.

If you’re looking for max speed, you’ll want to stop the climb at about 22,000 feet. At that height, the LT can deliver cruise speeds more reminiscent of a VLJ than a single-engine turboprop. The book suggests 340 knots under optimum conditions at the proper altitude, but in the real world, 330 knots might be more realistic. That’s a respectable number considering that neither of the two newest, certified light jets on the market do much more than 350 knots on a good day.

Where the LT will leave the jets behind is in range. With long-range tanks and economy power settings, the aircraft can reach out and touch a destination more than 1,500 nm distant. Economy cruise settings consume about 53 gph, and with the large, optional 350-gallon tanks topped (on the production version), you can plan on 5.5 hours plus reserve at about 280 knots.

Because beta or reverse thrust provides propjets with dramatic stopping power, turboprops typically have an automatic advantage over jets in landing mode. In the Epic LT’s case, landing over a 50-foot obstacle requires less than 1,900 feet. That’s at least 1,000 feet less than any of the jets and equal to or better than the other leading turboprops.

As mentioned above, Epic is currently working on certifying a production version of the LT, known as the Dynasty, with Transport Canada. At this writing, the only Epic available is one you’ll have to build yourself or, at least, with the company’s help. On the surface, that might seem a significant disincentive to the kind of pilot who can afford the LT. There have been at least 35 of those aviators who have stepped up to the plate; another 40 are waiting to start their LT, having stepped up to the plate and put both their money and time on the line. If Epic can do that well with a homebuilt turboprop, imagine what the company might do with a fully certified airplane.

SPECS: 2008 Epic LT

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Epic LT
Base price:	$1,525,000
Engine:	Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A
Shaft Horsepower:	1200
Gross Weight (lbs.):	7329
Empty Weight (lbs.):	4000
Useful Load (lbs.):	3129
Usable Fuel, Std. (gals./lbs.):	288/1930
Payload (lbs.):	1199
PERFORMANCE
Max Certified Altitude (ft.):	28,000
Max Cruise Speed (kts.):	350
Takeoff Over 50 Ft. Obstacle (ft.):	1600
Landing Over 50 Ft. Obstacle (ft.):	1840
Source: Epic Aircraft

The post 2008 Epic LT appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Well, not exactly. Regular readers of Pilot Journal may recall that we flew the homebuilt Epic LT turboprop out of Las Vegas a few years ago, and even in those early days before the first VLJ had flown, the big turboprop showed all the signs of competing with the VLJs head-to-head in practically every area.

Rick Schrameck, CEO of Epic Air in Bend, Ore., believes his homebuilt airplane will nearly match the performance of most VLJs, and the price for both acquisition and operation will be considerably lower. The trouble with a homebuilt is that you do have to build it. As much as we may love the performance and concept of a homebuilt over a production airplane, most of us don’t have the time, the talent or the inclination to construct one, especially a sophisticated, pressurized six-seat jetprop.

In fact, the folks at Epic have turned that perceived downside on its head. Epic Air is in the process of certifying a version of the 1,200 shp Epic LT homebuilt, and the company may actually benefit from its shared experience with the homebuilt. “We’re doing something that’s relatively new in aviation,” says Schrameck. “We’re using the homebuilt program to help verify the market and the engineering on the production Dynasty certification effort. We’re benefiting from the experience of the homebuilders in our development program on the certified airplane. By using the feedback we receive from those homebuilt customers, we may be able to shortstop problems in the certification program, and that translates directly to savings of both time and money. We’re also using revenue from the homebuilt program to help fund the Dynasty production airplane.”

In this case, “we” refers to three aggressive entrepreneurs who’ve made their fortunes in various aspects of high-tech industries. Rick Schrameck has earned his money primarily in the computer and communications business. For the last 20 years, Schrameck has rescued and managed companies in trouble. He’s also an expert on auto emissions and standards and aircraft turbocharging. Mike Shealy is general manager of Intel’s Integrated Access Division, another product of the high-tech world, and has been a CEO and senior vice president of several major computer and technology companies. Jeff Sanders has started and sold 10 companies in the last 20 years and is now involved in land acquisition, primarily along the California coast. (Sanders also built and flies his own Epic LT.)

Epic operates a 100,000-square-foot facility in Bend, Ore., producing components for the Epic LT and providing builder assistance in the actual construction of the aircraft. The company currently employs 150 people at Bend, and nine Epic LT homebuilts have flown away at this writing. The backlog on the world’s most impressive experimental aircraft is nearly 30 airplanes, which means 40 pilots so far have written checks for more than $1 million dollars for an airplane they know they’ll still have to build. With a 4,000 fpm climb rate, 335-knot cruise speed and full six-seat payload, the Epic LT is probably the most exotic homebuilt ever offered. It’s also the most expensive, but that doesn’t seem to have inhibited sales.

Epic’s Dynasty certification effort is also a little different in that it’s being launched in Canada. Just as motion pictures and television productions are finding Canada to be a friendly and economical environment, aircraft manufacturers are discovering that Canada is an easy place to work. Diamond Aircraft produces all its North American products from a plant in London, Ontario. Airplanes certified under Canadian regulations are automatically approved for U.S. operation under a reciprocal agreement.

Rick Schrameck emphasizes that’s not because of a lack of trying on the FAA’s part. “They have some very talented people at the FAA, but they’re simply overwhelmed,” says the CEO. “The extreme amount of time and money necessary to get an airplane certified in the United States isn’t a result of any malevolent government obstructionist plot. Those folks simply have far more work than they can handle.”

When Epic went shopping for a place to build the Dynasty a few years ago, they investigated a number of alternatives. “We looked at business possibilities in several European countries, Brazil and a number of Canadian provinces. In the end, Canada won out,” says Schrameck. “The Canadian government is eager to foster investment, and they offered us some major incentives to locate north of the border.”

As a result, the Canadian division of Epic Air is building a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility outside Calgary, Alberta. Additionally, Epic Air is working with the newly formed Canadian Centre for Aircraft Certification to build a 50,000-square-foot certification facility. Epic Air will be the first manufacturer to utilize the CCAC facility, but the CCAC hopes to attract other companies to certify aircraft north of the border. In two to three years, as the program spools up, Epic Air hopes to expand its Calgary production facility to 200,000 square feet, and Epic hopes to be building Dynasty propjets in Calgary with a workforce of between 500 and 600. According to Schrameck, the Dynasty is expected to be certified sometime in the fourth quarter of 2008 and should sell for about $2 million in early 2009.

When we talked to Schrameck in late February, he commented that there were “more than 20 orders” for the Dynasty. He strongly implied there were a lot more, but settled for 20 for now.

The Dynasty won’t be Epic Air’s only product. The company is currently flight-testing a twin jet based on the Dynasty. It’s called the Elite and will be introduced as a homebuilt in late 2007, then be certified and produced at the CCAC in Calgary starting in 2009. Preliminary specs include Williams FJ-33 engines rated for 1,550 pounds of thrust apiece. Max cruise will be more than 400 knots and max altitude will be 41,000 feet. With luck, we’ll be seeing the Elite prototype at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Schrameck says the company will also be offering two 90%-scaled models based on the Epic fuselage and wing, project code name Mini-Me 1 and 2. One will be a slightly downsized version of the current turboprop, and the second will be a single-engine jet similar to the Diamond Jet, only stretched 14 inches to allow more cabin room.

If this program sounds aggressive, consider that Rick Schrameck, Mike Shealy and Jeff Sanders are very successful businessmen. This isn’t a lark for them. The Epic/Dynasty trio have studied the market, they understand exactly what they’re doing, and they’re convinced the models they’re planning will be well received.

If performance of the prototype Dynasty is any indication, they very well may be correct.

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