We stepped up into this plane about a year ago from a Meridian. I supposed we're the weird ones who landed on an Epic while contemplating TBM and Pilatus. Bought a great used example a year ago and so far it's been a good experience.

Figured this can be a place to talk about the Epic LT. I'm not sure if there are any other owners here.

Some photos:





Good slow flight manners too. Here's flying the Hudson River corridor:




Standard summertime ISA+10ish numbers:

That's a beautiful plane. IMHO, prettier than the Piper or the TBM.
I don't really know anything about Epics. Can you post some interior shots?
How does the performance compare to the more well known options?
How about maintenance options?
Are these less expensive to buy?
Any thoughts on Pros vs Cons?

Curious pilots want to know

Beautiful plane! One of my favorites in addition to the Kestrel K-350, which I think is now dead and gone.

Of course the first thing to know is it's Experimental... Good, bad or indifferent, that underlies almost all comparisons.

Is yours experimental? Did you "build" it or buy it from another owner?

We have the pleasure of being located across the field from Epic and have enjoyed watching their progression from experimental to hopefully soon certified. Having has the opportunity to take a ride in an LT, all I can say is wow! That bloody thing can move! It's no Cessna 150, but it'll do.

I climbed up into one at Oshkosh last year. My impression was:

W O W !

Truly gorgeous

one of the best looking planes ever - would love to hear more about it

Nice aircraft, I hope Epic suceed and get it certified.

Thanks John.

Interior shots below. What isn't obvious is how large it is. This is comfortably a 6 seat plane (minus potty). Pax in the back can stretch out a bit and there's headroom for giants (I'm 6'3", have plenty of room). Headsets required though. It's loud otherwise.

The performance is... good. There's no performance numbers in the POH, but I can tell you it's an honest 300+ knot bird loaded to the gills at hot ISA+20 days. Max speed is north of 330, but we fly conservatively at Pratt's recommended temp limit. You can climb to FL280 in <10 minutes, but it's comfy to cruise climb at 190-200 kias/3000 fpm initially and at a lower deck angle. I can turn the geek/nerd factor up a lot if you guys want actual, documented performance numbers, but I'll spare you from inundation unless someone requests it.

Mx is in line with other single engine turboprops. You can skimp and pay $8k a year for half-ass work, and then be punished with a $50k bill down the road. $15-25k a year with the occasional prop overhaul every 6 years (if you do it) for another $10k is a better expectation. We choose to maintain ours at Epic and they have good support. I'm sure they have a handful of facilities across the country they endorse. We're just under 2 hours away and justify the flight given we train up there with their pilots as well.

Less expensive than a TBM? Year to year or TT to TT, yes. Older Meridian's will for sure be cheaper. Pilatus is potty class and doesn't really compare unless you fly it half empty everywhere.

Pros and cons, there are plenty of each.
Cons: insurance in California even with pro pilots is $30k a year; only one insurance carrier that wants to play. No FIKI, so calibrate your cowboy hat before launching. Single electrical source, but we're working on putting on a backup alternator (~55 amp hours of battery life though). Most have no inertial separators (ours is one of two that has them) or heated windshields except defrost inside--Epic will release their bleed air windshield heat mod similar to what they're using on the certified plane. No performance tables. For the useful load, only moderate luggage/cargo space. No massive 40" door in the back or pilot door (wouldn't really be possible). Have plenty of performance to fly more efficiently in RVSM altitudes but cost prohibitive to get signed off. Lack of support from Garmin on a G900 panel. No GFC 700 autopilot (although the STEC autopilot isn't bad and refinement is making it better).

Pros: 3300 lbs useful load with a wide CG envelope, carries 1930 lbs of fuel, so north of 1300 lbs payload. 6.6 psi cabin. Speed. Space inside. Good short field capability. Good slow flight manners. Controllers call you Epic Jet. Vne = 280 kias. The factory provides good support. A nearly identical wing/fuselage setup to the plane that will be put through the rigors of certification (flutter, wing stress, icing, etc). Torque limiter simplifies things. Awesome to hand fly. It looks good. Trailing link gear makes me look good.

Bad interior photos, but you get the gist:




Some time looking at the panel during initial climb out. Only 2 pax and 220 gallons of fuel:
http://youtu.be/NyD762L4NWk


And a short VFR hop:
http://youtu.be/z7JQLAmHtKI

Do you have the PT6-67A and is that rated at 1000 or 1200 hp?

I would recommend a min of 70 amps as backup generator.

-67As are flat rated to 1200 hp for 5 minutes and 1000 hp/840° ITT max continuous.

We have our eye on the 100 amp Hartzell alternator used on newer TBMs.

It’s a good thing that the average guy never gets to fly one of these because, if he did, the average guy would never again be satisfied flying the average airplane that the average guy gets to fly, on average.

-67As are flat rated to 1200 hp for 5 minutes and 1000 hp/840° ITT max continuous.

We have our eye on the 100 amp Hartzell alternator used on newer TBMs.