Story ID: 
In The Works: Epic Victory
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Epic has notched another first flight, this time for the Victory single-engine jet, which took off on July 6 from Roberts Field in Redmond, Ore.
Word Count: 156
Epic has notched another first flight, this time for the Victory single-engine jet, which took off on July 6 from Roberts Field in Redmond, Ore. While the company plans initially to sell the Victory as an amateur-built experimental jet, a spokesman told AIN that certification is in the cards, possibly as soon as 2009. Epic unveiled plans to build the Victory at the Sun ’n’ Fun show in Lakeland, Fla. 
The all-carbon-fiber Victory will seat four or five and weigh 2,700 pounds empty and 5,500 pounds at maximum takeoff weight. Range at economy cruise speed of 250 knots should be 1,200 nm with seats full and an unspecified fuel reserve. Maximum cruise speed for the Williams FJ33-4A-powered airplane is 320 knots. Price for the experimental version will be less than $1 million, including an all-glass Garmin avionics suite, according to Epic. Until the jet is certified, buyers will build them at Epic’s Bend, Ore. customer build center.