Pushed by the disadvantages of airline travel and pulled by the 100% immediate write-off of business aircraft for tax purposes, pilots with means are upgrading their ratings, skills and type of aircraft they fly. Previously, turboprops like the best-selling Pilatus PC-12, and light jets, like the Mustang, have owned that market. Now there is a new player grabbing buyer attention: the certified, EPIC E1000 GX.
After a four-year wait, due to certification and COVID restrictions, having first met the Epic team at Oshkosh in 2019, I was invited to fly the aircraft out of Australian Mike Smith’s Napa Airport flight school in California.
EPIC CEO and president, Doug King, flew the aircraft down from Bend Oregon especially for the flight test. Last year King flew this Epic aircraft around the world, involving 48 flights, across ten countries.
Epic proudly say: “There is no need to compromise speed and range for payload. The E1000 GX’s impressive 333kts speed and 1,560nm range are achievable even when fully fuelled and loaded with 1,100 pounds of passengers and luggage. That’s [USA] coast to coast in one stop against the wind, with no one left behind. And with its unrivalled short-field performance, trailing-link landing gear, and full-reversing prop, the E1000 GX gives you access to airports and airstrips typically not accessible to high-performance aircraft. Let the adventure begin.”
“It may be hard to imagine reaching speeds over 333 kts in a single-engine aircraft. And harder still to comprehend the thrill of
