Bend, OR, December 5, 2007— High performance very light jet manufacturer Epic Aircraft is finding itself with a new group of customers, customers who are reporting ground speeds in excess of 500 miles per hour with a single-engine, propeller-driven Epic LT! Pilots confirming the accomplishment are awarded membership in the elite EPIC 500 Club.

“It’s amazing to see these kinds of speeds from a single engine turboprop!” says Epic chief pilot Mike Hooper. “But those are the reports we getting over and over again now.”  Hooper says this remarkable phenomenon occurs mostly in the winter when there are some big tail winds at altitude. He was the first to report seeing his speed top the EPIC 500 mph benchmark in December of last year when his Epic LT turned in a solid 458 knots, or 527 mph. Since then there have been many others.

Last week a customer flying an Epic LT from Bend, OR to Omaha, NE recorded 462 knots, or 531 mph. The 1200+ nautical mile trip took only 2 hours and 43 minutes of flight time.  Pilots who can offer a photograph of their panel showing the aircraft to be in straight and level flight with a ground speed of more than 500 mph become honorary members of the new EPIC 500 Club.

“And we’d be happy to have any other manufacturer’s VLJs or turboprops join the EPIC 500 Club, but so far none of them have been able to do it,” says Epic CEO Rick Schrameck. “We’re not going to discriminate between turbofans and turboprops,” he added. “Anyone who can break through 500 mph mark can join the club!”

The Epic LT, a six-seat, pressurized single with a Pratt & Whitney turboprop up front, premiered at Oshkosh in 2003 as an owner-built aircraft. The design is currently undergoing certification testing in Canada and will be available as the Epic Dynasty.
Epic has since introduced three more aircraft, the single-engine Victory turbofan, the twinengine Elite jet, and a faster, but smaller version of the Epic LT named the Escape.

For more information on the complete line of Epic Aircraft, visit www.EpicAircraft.com or call 1-88-FLY-EPIC.

Original Release

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