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Epically Quick, Comfortable, and Safe
First Impressions: It’s all in the name! The Epic E1000 GX is where luxury, performance and beauty converge. This machine will get you and up to five family members or friends anywhere in a 1,500-mile radius quickly, comfortably, efficiently, and safely. Oh yeah, it’s got some serious “sports car” appeal too!
Background: Epic Aircraft began selling kit-built aircraft (Epic LT) in 2005. After Epic changed ownership in 2010, the company began to work on developing a certified aircraft, with the E1000 as the result. The latest version, the E1000 GX, now includes a Hartzell nine-foot, five-bladed prop and a Garmin GFTCM automated flight control system.
Design Characteristics: It is often said that an airplane flies as well as it looks. The sleek form and smooth lines of this airplane make it look fast, even when sitting still. Not surprisingly, it is fast. This six-seater is the ultimate owner-flown turboprop aircraft. The beautiful form of the E1000 GX in no way compromises its utility; it outperforms other single-engine turboprops and even some jets!
If you fly this type of plane, you want your passengers to feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed. Epic Aircraft didn’t want these features to be an afterthought. Even though the airframe is sleek, the cabin itself is large. Every seat in the aircraft, including both pilot seats, has plenty of head and shoulder room for passengers as tall as 6’ 8”! The rear club seating in many six-seat aircraft requires strategic leg positioning for passengers who like to stretch out. In the Epic, they can stretch out to their heart’s content. Every passenger seat has round electrochromic windows with integral polarizing film which are individually dimmable. When the flight is complete and the battery switch is turned off, all passenger windows immediately dim to keep the cabin cool! The leather seats are reclinable and offer USB-A and USB-C power ports and cup holders. Luggage is stowed behind the aft seats, where there is room for six standard roller bags.
The cockpit also has sleek, sports car-like lines, yet without the cramped feel. It was clearly designed by pilots for maximum efficiency and comfort. Switches are neatly organized into panels that make sense for each phase of flight, conveniently arranged in order. For example, the start-up sequence is simply a matter of depressing buttons on the Pre-Start Panel in sequential order from left to right before pulling the condition lever up and over the “gate”.
Epic’s designers purposely designed the aircraft for easy maintenance in shops that service any other turboprops. The engine (Pratt & Whitney), propeller (Hartzell), and avionics suite (Garmin) are all industry standard. The extremely strong and lightweight carbon fiber fuselage requires no corrosion control measures. Long span double Fowler flaps are electrically driven and have three positions; Up (0˚), T/O (12˚) and FULL (43˚).
The E1000 GX is certified for flight into known icing (FIKI), and is equipped with electric propeller, pitot tube and AoA heaters, pneumatic de-ice boots on the wings, horizontal stabilizer and engine inlet, and engine bleed-air windshield heat. An ice detector probe will also annunciate an “ICE” caution in the cockpit. Additionally, the Stall Protection System (SPS) has a PUSHER ICE MODE, which increases the stall warning speed and decreases the angle of attack for stick-pusher activation.
Powerplant: A 1,200 shaft horsepower (shp), ultra-reliable Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A powers the E1000 GX. The maximum continuous power setting (83.3% torque or 840 degrees Celsius) provides 1000 shaft horsepower, hence the E1000 designation. Two “wet wing” tanks provide a total of 278 gallons of JET A, providing over five hours of flight time at slightly less than 50 gallons-per-hour - not bad for cruising at over 300 knots. A huge selling point is the 34,000-foot max service ceiling, which makes it possible to fly over weather most prop-driven planes are forced either to go around or punch through.
Preflight/Startup/Taxi: The pre-flight is simple: fuel, oil, propeller and the general integrity of the airframe are checked. The landing gear is hydraulically operated and the hydraulic fluid can be confirmed with a small window in the right main landing gear wheel well. Disconnect the external power connection you may have used to air condition the cabin and climb up the three integral steps on the cabin airstair. After closing and latching the door, walk forward to the “office”. The engine is both started and shut down in full feather. After the simple start-up procedure, copy your clearance and edit your flight plan in the G1000 NXi MFD. When it’s time to taxi, both the prop and condition levers are pushed full forward, which takes the prop out of feather. To slow down during taxi, lift the ergonomic ring-shaped power lever up and back into minimum Beta position. Pushing the TO/GA (Take-Off/Go-Around) button on the power lever will bring up the take-off configuration checklist on the top wedge panel; anything that is not in the proper configuration will be in red.
Flight Characteristics: The Epic is a turboprop with jet performance! Be prepared to add a lot of right rudder to counteract all that thrust. If you’re hand-flying immediately after takeoff, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you accelerate through climb speed. The E1000 GX certainly loves to climb! 1,200 shaft horsepower (SHP) on an 8,000 lb. aircraft will translate to nearly a 4,000 fpm climb rate (density altitude dependent). It has the stability of a substantially larger and heavier aircraft. Trim is activated with a push-in, then up/down or left/right activation. Take-off trim is about the same as required for approach and landing (with flaps down), so if you can muscle through the transitory regimes, you won’t need to adjust the trim much at all for pattern work. Another great feature is the yaw damper’s automatic rudder trim. This feature eliminates all the hassle of managing the P-factor that the 105-inch propeller and makes it fly more like a jet than a turboprop. Designed for single-pilot operations, the E1000 GX is both intuitive and easy to fly.
At all altitudes between 14,000 and 34,000, the Epic will hold greater than 300-knots true airspeed. Around 26,000 to 27,000 feet, it will reach its advertised 333 KTAS - a pretty impressive feat for a small single engine six-seater!
The E1000 GX has got your back! If the pilot unwittingly leaves the power lever back and the airplane slows too much on descent, the underspeed protection automatically pitches the nose down to prevent reaching stall. There is also an “Auto Level” button (front and center on the dash), which will do just that, should the pilot become disoriented.
Landing: As stated, the airplane is slippery, so it could be easy to find yourself needing to slow down, especially if ATC has kept you high for a little too long. No speedbrakes are required, however, because bringing the power back toward idle will flatten out all five Hartzell blades and slow you down as much as needed. Configuring to land is as simple as putting the landing gear down and the flaps to the full position. Once in proper landing configuration, 25% torque is a good center point for the power lever. To flare, retard the power smoothly and haul back on the yoke. The F/A-18-style trailing link landing gear will forgive a multitude of evils, and your passengers will be none the wiser! For short field stopping power, it’s hard to beat a five-bladed prop in full reverse! Most runways at least 2,500 feet or longer are accessible to the E1000 GX, even with a 50-foot obstacle. With the heavy-duty landing gear, even some smooth and dry grass strips may be accessible, although the Epic was not purpose-designed for off-airport landings. Potholes and dips could be a problem for the prop to ground clearance; thus paved runways will be your 99% solution.
When it’s time to park, the Epic can pull into some tight spots. This is achieved by pivoting around a main landing gear wheel, thanks to a “kick-out” point on the steerable nose wheel, which allows it to caster up to 60 degrees.
Wrap-Up: Some airplanes are pretty and some airplanes are practical. The Epic E1000 GX is both. A true performer, if you’re in the market for a six-seat turboprop (or even a jet) this true performer makes sense. Without compromises, the Epic lives up to its name.
