The Epic 1000, a carbon-fiber turboprop single being produced in Bend, Ore., is getting closer to certification. “We should finish and see certification by the end of 2016,” Epic CEO Aircraft Doug King told AIN yesterday at Sun ’n’ Fun 2016. “The conforming flight-test aircraft is flying beautifully, and that’s what we need right now.”

The six-place airplane, a direct derivative of the kit-built Epic LT, is equipped with a 1,200-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A up front and a three-screen Garmin 1000 avionics suite inside. It is expected to cruise between 265 and 325 ktas, with a maximum range of 1,650 nm at 265 ktas, burning 40 gph. Anticipated takeoff and landing distances are 1,600 feet and 1,840 feet (both over 50-foot obstacles), respectively.

King believes that the composites in the aircraft have forced the FAA scrutinize the aircraft particularly closely, and this has slowed the certification process. “For instance,” he explained, “the testing weight load requirements for composites is 50 percent more than for a metal aircraft. Of course, you end up with a stronger airplane that has a larger margin of safety. It was so rewarding when we passed these tests.”

He told AIN that the company holds just more than 60 deposits for the Epic 1000, and it has hired experts with experience from Boeing to help ramp up production as soon as certification is achieved. “I think we just need to continue to execute,” King said, referring to his goals in 2016. “We’ve started building assemblies, and through a plan with the FAA to accelerate our production certificate, we should be able to start deliveries nearly right after we get certification.”