Story ID: 042
Epic Delivers First Two E1000 Turboprop Singles
By: Jerry Siebenmark
Caption: Epic Aircraft said deliveries of its all-composite turboprop single were partly hampered by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Word Count: 273
Epic Aircraft has delivered the first two customer copies of its E1000 all-composite turboprop single. The deliveries, announced by the airframer on Thursday, follow FAA type certification of the airplane last November.

“Completing these deliveries is a tremendous milestone for our company and our customers,” said Epic CEO Doug King. “The E1000 is a remarkable aircraft and seeing the enthusiasm of our owners as they take delivery is extremely gratifying. This is the successful culmination of eight years of hard work, extensive investment, and a passionate belief in our product.”

Bend, Oregon-based Epic’s first E1000 delivery was made in February. That airplane has been leased back to Epic for what it said are several “priority” engineering projects. Last week, it delivered the second E1000 after being delayed several times because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and a 1,200-hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A engine, the six-seat airplane has a cruise speed of 333 ktas and can climb at 4,000 feet per minute. Its range is 1,560 nm, which Epic said will allow it to fly coast-to-coast with one fuel stop.

With E1000 deposits from customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Russia, and South Africa, the company noted its operations are returning to full capacity and it plans to ramp customer deliveries following Covid-19-related setbacks. “The challenges presented by Covid-19 have been unexpected and considerable,” King explained. “But…our dedicated staff…have persevered, engineered, and improvised in order to keep our production lines moving, so we can deliver planes and meet customer expectations.”