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.