Bend’s Epic Aircraft wins FAA certification of new plane
Expects first deliveries by end of year; 80+ reservations in hand
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend-based Epic Aircraft announced Wednesday the Federal Aviation Administration has granted Type Certification for its E1000 all-carbon fiber aircraft design, concluding what it called "a rigorous seven-year program that establishes a new industry standard for performance, price and ramp appeal in the personal aircraft marketplace."
“This is a remarkable accomplishment for our entire community,” said Epic CEO Doug King in a news release. "I want to thank our employees, who have worked so diligently to deliver this exceptional design, as well as our partners, suppliers, and customers, who have faithfully supported us each step of the way. It has been a true team effort, along with the fantastic support of the FAA.”
The Epic E1000, priced at $3.25 million fully equipped, is based on the company’s experimental Epic LT model, which was introduced to the market in 2005 through an owner-assist build program based at Epic headquarters.
“Transitioning that design into a certified version was the chance to offer a truly compelling product to the industry, a ‘no comprises’ aircraft that customers would really want. And they do,” added King.
Epic said it has over 80 confirmed E1000 reservations from around the US, as well as Canada, Mexico, Central/South America, Europe, Russia, South Africa and Australia.
“We had some opportunities to speed things up along the way, to get certification earlier,” said King. “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!”
The first seven E1000 customer aircraft are in various stages of fabrication, bonding and assembly, with initial deliveries slated to begin this year. All Epic manufacturing, engineering and administration operations are based in the U.S., the company said.
Epic has doubled its composite fabrication capacity, invested heavily in tooling, equipment, curing ovens, and refined workflows to accelerate E1000 production ramp. The company is currently running two production shifts, with plans to further expand operations. Production Certification is targeted for the first quarter of 2020.
“The FAA has a difficult job, overseeing a very challenging process, ultimately aimed at keeping us all safe,” commented King. “They have been a great partner, collaborating with us throughout the program, and certainly contributing to the structural integrity and safety of the E1000. We are very excited to begin this new chapter in the Epic Aircraft story.”
Learn more at epicaircraft.com.
ABOUT EPIC AIRCRAFT:
Headquartered in Bend, Oregon, Epic Aircraft, LLC is a privately held, design-driven aviation company that conducts all of its engineering and manufacturing operations in the United States. Epic specializes in the design and manufacture of high performance, all composite, six-seat single-engine, turboprop aircraft. The company currently employs over 300 full-time staff.
