The Epic E1000 is a single-engine turboprop light aircraft designed and developed by Epic Aircraft in Bend, Oregon. The aircraft features a low-wing design and a pressurized cabin to accommodate six people. The clean-sheet, all-composite design is claimed to deliver exceptional speed, range, payload, comfort, elegance, affordability, and safety.
The E1000 was designed from a kit plane, the Epic LT, but the company stopped selling it after it delivered the 54th and final kit in the second quarter of 2019. The E1000 performed its first flight in December 2015 and followed what was a comprehensive flight test campaign. During the testing phase, a second prototype was built and it performed its maiden flight in January 2018.
The two prototypes combined accumulated over 1,000 hours of testing. After a seven-year development (and testing phase), the aircraft received its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification in November 2019. The aircraft was introduced to service in February 2020, right at the onset of the pandemic.
The Epic E1000 is a low-wing cantilever design with a retractable tricycle landing gear and a spacious cabin. The aircraft is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney PT6-67A turboprop engine, generating over 1,800 horsepower (1,361 kW) of takeoff power. According to , “It may be hard to imagine reaching speeds over 333 knots in a single-engine aircraft.
And harder still to comprehend the thrill of a 4,000 feet-per-minute climb out. But that's the power.