After seven years of effort, Epic Aircraft has obtained an FAA type certificate for its speedy single-engine E1000 turboprop.

“This is a remarkable accomplishment for our entire community,” said Doug King, CEO of the company based in Bend, Oregon. “I want to thank our employees who have worked so diligently to deliver this exceptional design.”

The E1000 is an FAA-certified version of the Epic LT, a six-seat, 325-knot, PT6A-67-powered, 1,200-shaft-horsepower kit airplane the company has been selling to individual builders since 2005. There are 47 Epic LTs flying in the experimental/amateur built category, and they have logged tens of thousands of flight hours. The company has incorporated some changes to the E1000 as a result of that real-world experience.

“We had some opportunities to...get certification earlier,” King said. “But that would have required some tradeoffs that we weren’t willing to make.”

Epic said it has 80 confirmed E1000 orders, and the first seven airplanes are in various stages of production at the Oregon plant. The company expects to receive an FAA production certificate in the first quarter of 2020.

The Epic E1000 has a retail price of $3.25 million.