I understand the E1000, the certificated version of the Epic LT, made it's first flight Sat.

TBM killer? Better price, better speed, better payload....

Competitively priced at $2.95 million ‘fully-equipped’, the sleek E1000 all-composite airframe, powered by the 1200-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A turbine engine, travels at speeds over 325 KTAS, offering a range of 1,650 nautical miles, climb rate over 4,000 feet per minute, authorized ceiling of 34,000 feet, and full fuel payload of 1,120 pounds.

TBM killer? Better price, better speed, better payload....

Competitively priced at $2.95 million ‘fully-equipped’, the sleek E1000 all-composite airframe, powered by the 1200-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A turbine engine, travels at speeds over 325 KTAS, offering a range of 1,650 nautical miles, climb rate over 4,000 feet per minute, authorized ceiling of 34,000 feet, and full fuel payload of 1,120 pounds.

TBM killer? Better price, better speed, better payload....

Competitively priced at $2.95 million ‘fully-equipped’, the sleek E1000 all-composite airframe, powered by the 1200-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A turbine engine, travels at speeds over 325 KTAS, offering a range of 1,650 nautical miles, climb rate over 4,000 feet per minute, authorized ceiling of 34,000 feet, and full fuel payload of 1,120 pounds.

Hmmmmm?

A slight tip,of the hand there Arlen?

I suspect several LTs will
be available when existing owners have their E1000 orders filled.

I hope they get it certified.
Thats the engine Daher should put in the TBM.

Flew the LT a couple of years ago at OSH. Amazing performance, stunning short field performance, comfortable cabin. Jason is right, everything killer. Heavy controls at cruise but I think that has been improved plus torque limiter.

I'm just a few mil short of cash!

Game changer

So, when is the realistic date on which the Epic could be delivered to its first customer?

They claim late in 2016..

What makes this plane so different than anything else I can remember, is the fact that they are taking a proven design with no known issues ( only been one crash that I can find, and that was a fuel controller failure that resulted in the plane going down in a river with no injuries), and getting it certified with very few changes. That, in a large degree, is why the price point is as low as it is.
For those reasons, the certification process has gone very fast relative to other recent aircraft. This process has taken less than 4 years so far, maybe less than that.
It really is a revolutionary plane in almost all regards and I firmly believe it will shake up the industry in good way.

The whole certification process is a bit of a black box to me. I appreciate the insight.

I spent some time with a sales guy at OSH year before last and with an owner of one of the experimental versions. Both said it flies very well. Inside, the plane is very comfortable and the ergonomics of the cockpit are impressive as well. At the price point and performance it is going to be a game changer, especially if it comes out next year.

Why would they be including the Intelliflight 2100 autopilot with a Garmin G1000 flight deck? That makes no sense to me. Since its certified they certainly could have the G700. As I read the specs this is the first big question mark that comes up and I can't think why they would do that.