Epic Aircraft is moving toward certification of the E1000 turboprop single based on the popular LT kit model and hopes to have all the paperwork done sometime in 2014. In a podcast interview at Sun ‘n Fun 2013, spokesman Mike Schrader said the certification bid is fully funded by the company’s Russian owners and it hopes to be selling ready-to-fly aircraft by 2015. Epic recently took over the former Cessna Corvalis production facility in Bend, Ore., and is pursuing a production certificate for the aircraft in parallel with the certification, Schrader said. At $2.75 million and with a top cruise of 325 knots he said it’s aggressive competition for existing turboprop singles and little jets.
Meanwhile, the kit design that started the company and is the basis for the E1000 continues to be successful. Schrader said there have been 49 LTs completed, more than 40 are flying and five or six are under construction in Bend at the build center. Schrader said the aircraft’s capacity and long legs will make it a market leader. Epic is predicting a 1,600-nm range with seating for up to seven passengers and all their bags. “We say fill it up, go the distance and leave nothing behind,” Schrader said.
