Both Williams, P&WC Powerplants To Be Used

Aside from the unquestionably high performance of each product it produces, Oregon-based Epic AIR appears somewhat torn between selling fully certificated aircraft, and experimental-category kitplanes.

Despite the confusion, Epic managers maintain they have every intention of building Epic’s future in both categories.

“The Experimental category is allowing us to [sustain profitability],” says CEO Rick Schrameck. “By the time our aircraft join the certified category, we effectively have far more total time on them than we could without the Experimentals in service.”

The single-engine Epic Victory flew in to debut at AirVenture alongside the Elite twinjet. Both jets fit into the wide definition of a Very Light Jet (VLJ). Each aircraft first flew with the Williams International FW33-4 turbofan, but only the Elite will retain the engine for production. The Victory will be produced with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617, and Schramek named the slightly higher thrust of the Pratt as the reason for this decision.

Schrameck was near tears at the press conference, and proudly explained how the development team brought the Victory from a clean sheet to its first flight within six and a half months. “These guys did magic,” he said.

Also during the conference, Schrameck made a surprise introduction of Dr. Vijay Mallya -- the flamboyant CEO of India's Kingfisher Airlines (above) -- who spoke briefly about his impressions of the Epic organization and its strategy.

“I believe [the aircraft] are outstanding... the business case for Epic has a strong future,” Mallya stated.

Epic managers expect owner-built versions of the Victory to begin flying later this year. As with previous Epic aircraft such as the LT and Dynasty, initially an Experimental and then a certificated version of each will be sold.

Each prototype shown at Oshkosh had accumulated around 50 hours of flight time. Interestingly, the Elite and Victory share an almost identical pressure vessel, with less than an inch of difference in dimension. The smaller Victory should still be able to accommodate a luxurious, reclining “throne” that is heated, cooled, and includes a massager, explained Schrameck.

The Elite will be the speedier of the two, and should suit owner-operators who prefer a twin. “We wanted this thing to go as fast as possible," said Schrameck, when explaining the ongoing aerodynamic changes to the Elite twinjet.

FMI: www.epicaircraft.com