Epic Aircraft has unveiled plans to offer a fully certificated variant of its Epic LT kit-built single-engined turboprop, called the E1000.
The new aircraft will be virtually identical to its kit-built counterpart, says Mike Schrader, Epic's head of sales and marketing, save for the addition of a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit.
It began the certification process for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-67A-powered type around 18 months ago, says Schrader. "We've actually started to build some conforming parts that we have gotten signed off for in the empennage area," he says. "Structural testing should start in about a month."
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Dave Majumdar/Flightglobal |
The first prototype should be completed in early 2014 leading to first flight in February, but Schrader is keen to stress that this timeframe is an "educated guess".
Schrader envisages the certification effort lasting around another 15 months, with deliveries following around four to six months later. As the E1000 is virtually identical to the kit-built LT in its construction, the assembly process will remain largely unchanged, he adds.
Source: Flight International
