Misplaced Pages

#416583

47-461: A development of the kit-built Epic LT , the E1000 aircraft features a cantilever low-wing , a 6.5 psi pressurized cabin with an airstair door just ahead of the rear seats, retractable tricycle landing gear and a single 1,825 hp (1,361 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-67A turboprop aircraft engine , de-rated to 1,200 hp (895 kW) engine in tractor configuration . The aircraft

94-423: A 325kt (600 km/h) maximum airspeed, 1,650nmi (3,050 km) range, 45USgal/h fuel consumption at cruise altitude, and a 34,000 ft operating ceiling. In 2013, the E1000 was launched, intended to be a type certificated , upgraded Epic LT kit plane. In 2014, Epic stopped selling the kit plane , the 54th and final one was delivered in the second quarter of 2019. In February 2014, Epic had ten orders for

141-567: A bigger focus on aviation photography, podcasts and streaming media . The print magazine went quarterly at the start of 2022, starting with Volume 149, issue 1, styled as "Q1 2022". In 2023, Flying Media Group acquired the aviation magazine Plane & Pilot , with the intention of having the publication focus on the piston aircraft market. The company also bought out AVweb , AirlineGeeks , and Aircraft for Sale as well as KitPlanes . After acquisition of more magazine titles, Flying Media Group changed its name to Firecrown. In January 2010,

188-453: A four-place kit with cabin pressurization and a turboprop engine , cruising at 24,000 feet (7,300 m) and 370 knots (425 mph, 685 km/h). Although aircraft such as this are considered "home-built" for legal reasons, they are typically built in the factory with the assistance of the buyer. This allows the company which sells the kit to avoid the long and expensive process of certification, because they remain owner-built according to

235-732: A high tensile strength (usually fiberglass or carbon fiber , or occasionally Kevlar ) combined with a structural plastic (usually epoxy , although vinylester is used in some aircraft). The fabric is saturated with the structural plastic in a liquid form; when the plastic cures and hardens, the part will hold its shape while possessing the strength characteristics of the fabric. The two primary types of composite planes are moulded composite, where major structures like wing skins and fuselage halves are prepared and cured in moulds, and mouldless, where shapes are carved out of foam and then covered with fiberglass or carbon fiber. The advantages of this type of construction include smooth surfaces (without

282-417: A larger market for our airplanes. Emerging markets such as China and India could also boost demand for our products, but entire infrastructures will need to be formed before small players like us could benefit. Homebuilt aircraft can be constructed out of any material that is light and strong enough for flight. Several common construction methods are detailed below. This is the oldest construction, seen in

329-669: A positive influence on the professionalism of its industry members and on the builders/pilots of its products. With concern over fuel prices, we might see a trend toward lower-powered aircraft intended more for pure sport flying rather than the trend toward cross-country aircraft, which has been the norm over the past 30 years. I would expect that toward the end of that period, there might be some design ventures into electric-powered aircraft, but only if battery technology improves significantly. We might see more motorglider-type homebuilts, tied both to high fuel prices and emerging electric-propulsion technology. What we do at Van's could mirror some of

376-450: A two-year delay from earlier forecasts. The final Epic LT kit plane was completed in June 2019. In November 2019, the design was FAA type certificated after a seven-year development effort, with the two prototypes completing more than 1,000 hours of flight testing. Initial customer deliveries against the existing 80 aircraft on order were planned before the end of 2019. After delays imposed by

423-453: Is an aviation magazine published since 1927 and called Popular Aviation prior to 1942, as well as Aeronautics for a brief period. It is read by pilots, aircraft owners, aviation enthusiasts and aviation-oriented executives in business , commercial and general aviation markets worldwide. It has the largest paid subscription, newsstand, and international circulation of any U.S.-based aviation magazine, according to its former publisher

470-622: Is not as good as certified general aviation aircraft. In the United States, in 2003, amateur-built aircraft experienced a rate of 21.6 accidents per 100,000 flight hours; the overall general aviation accident rate for that year was 6.75 per 100,000 flight hours. The accident rate for homebuilt aircraft in the U.S. has long been a concern to the Federal Aviation Administration . At Sun 'n Fun 2010, FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said that homebuilts "account for 10 percent of

517-438: Is predominantly made from carbon fiber and its 43 ft (13.1 m) span wing mounts flaps and winglets . The aircraft has a goal empty weight of 4,400 lb (2,000 kg) and a gross weight of 7,500 lb (3,400 kg), giving a useful load of 3,100 lb (1,400 kg) and a full-fuel payload of 1,100 lb (500 kg), allowing the fuel tanks and seats to all be filled. Preliminary performance data shows

SECTION 10

#1732851135417

564-638: Is toward wood-composite aircraft. The basic load carrying material is still wood, but it is combined with foam (for instance, to increase buckling resistance of load carrying plywood skins) and other synthetic materials like fiberglass and carbon fiber (to locally increase the modulus of load carrying structures such as spar caps). Examples of wood-composite designs include: Planes built from metal use similar techniques to more conventional factory-built aircraft. They can be more challenging to build, requiring metal-cutting, metal-shaping, and riveting if building from plans. "Quick-build" kits are available which have

611-568: The Bonnier Corporation , and is promoted as "the world's most widely read aviation magazine". It is owned by digital media entrepreneur Craig Fuller. The magazine first began publishing in 1927 as Popular Aviation soon after Charles Lindbergh 's historic transatlantic flight . It was given the name Aeronautics briefly from 1929–1930 and was changed back to Popular Aviation until 1942, when it became Flying . In June 2009, Flying 's owner, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. , sold

658-646: The COVID-19 pandemic , in July 2020 the company received its FAA production certificate for the aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered in February 2020 before being leased back to Epic to support engineering projects, and the second aircraft was delivered in May. In 2023, its equipped price was $ 4.45M. In July 2020 the E1000 was named as the winner of Flying magazine 's 2020 Innovation Award. Flying's Editor-in-Chief Julie Boatman, noted

705-681: The Sun N' Fun Fly-In, which occurs in the early spring in Lakeland, Florida , and the Northwest EAA Fly-In in Arlington, Washington . These events are called fly-ins as many people fly their homebuilts and other aircraft into the airport hosting the show, often camping there for the duration. Both events last a week. Takeoffs and landings at these shows typically number in the thousands. Flying magazine Flying , sometimes styled FLYING ,

752-494: The United States , Brazil , Australia , New Zealand and South Africa , homebuilt aircraft may be licensed Experimental under FAA or similar local regulations. With some limitations, the builder(s) of the aircraft must have done it for their own education and recreation rather than for profit. In the U.S., the primary builder can also apply for a repairman's certificate for that airframe. The repairman's certificate allows

799-430: The canard design to the homebuilding world and pioneered the use of composite construction. Metal construction in kitplanes was taken to a new level by Richard VanGrunsven in his RV series . As the sophistication of the kits improved, components such as autopilots and more advanced navigation instruments became common. Litigation during the 1970s and 1980s caused stagnation in the small aircraft market, forcing

846-529: The GA fleet, but 27 percent of accidents. It's not the builders [getting into accidents], but the second owners. We need better transition training." In the US, flight instruction , including primary flight training, can be received in the owner's homebuilt aircraft from any instructor willing to provide such training. A study released in 2012 by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board concluded that homebuilt aircraft in

893-414: The U.S. and this led to calls for acceptable standards to allow recreational use of amateur-built aircraft. By the mid-1950s both the U.S. and Canada once again allowed amateur-built aircraft to specified standards and limitations. Homebuilt aircraft are generally small, one to four-seat sportsplanes which employ simple methods of construction. Fabric-covered wood or metal frames and plywood are common in

940-426: The U.S. have an accident rate 3–4 times higher than the rest of the general aviation fleet. Almost 10% of accidents involving homebuilt aircraft occurred on the craft's first flight. A further 9% of accidents occurred on their first flight after being sold, due to the new owner's unfamiliarity with the craft. The study also identified that powerplant failures and loss of control in-flight accidents were much higher than

987-574: The U.S. in 1924 with the start of the National Air Races , held in Dayton , Ohio . These races required aircraft with useful loads of 150 lb (68 kg) and engines of 80 cubic inches or less and as a consequence of the class limitations most were amateur-built. The years after Charles Lindbergh 's transatlantic flight brought a peak of interest between 1929 and 1933. During this period many aircraft designers, builders and pilots were self-taught and

SECTION 20

#1732851135417

1034-405: The US. Poberezny's Mechanix Illustrated articles gained worldwide acclaim and the concept of aircraft homebuilding took off. Until the late 1950s, builders had mainly kept to wood-and-cloth and steel tube-and-cloth design. Without the regulatory restrictions faced by production aircraft manufacturers, homebuilders introduced innovative designs and construction techniques. Burt Rutan introduced

1081-418: The above thinking. Unfortunately, I don't see the growth potential that there was in the 1980s and 1990s. There seems to be a shrinking pilot base from which to draw people to build kits. Plus, with demographic changes, there is possibly a diminishing interest in, or ability to undertake, aircraft building as a pastime. Hopefully, EAA and AOPA initiatives to interest more people in learning to fly will help create

1128-907: The aircraft structure, but increasingly, fiberglass and other composites as well as full aluminum construction techniques are being used, techniques first pioneered by Hugo Junkers as far back as the late World War I era. Engines are most often the same as, or similar to, the engines used in certified aircraft (such as Lycoming , Continental , Rotax , and Jabiru ). A minority of homebuilts use converted automobile engines, with Volkswagen air-cooled flat-4s , Subaru -based liquid-cooled engines, Mazda Wankel and Chevrolet Corvair six-cylinder engines being most common. The use of automotive engines helps to reduce costs, but many builders prefer dedicated aircraft engines , which are perceived to have better performance and reliability. Other engines that have been used include chainsaw and motorcycle engines. A combination of cost and litigation , especially in

1175-432: The aircraft's deliveries starting during the COVID-19 pandemic , "we’re really pleased to be in a position to award the 2020 Innovation Award to Epic Aircraft for the phenomenal job that you’ve done, not just bringing the aircraft to certification over a couple of decades, but also in the midst of everything that we’ve been going through over the last 4 months now, to continue pushing forward, to get those first deliveries out

1222-545: The cabin sidewalls, pockets large enough to stow a tablet computer , USB power outlets, cup holders and light-emitting diode light switches. The Garmin G1000 navigation system will include a synthetic vision system . It includes SPD-Smart Electronically Dimmable Window (EDW) Systems. In 2015, certification slipped to 2016. and the company forecast commencing deliveries in 2016, as well. The E1000 first flew on 19 December 2015 and Epic reported "more than" 60 orders. In May 2016,

1269-490: The cutting, shaping, and hole-drilling mostly done, requiring only finishing and assembly. Such kits are also available for the other types of aircraft construction, especially composite. There are three main types of metal construction: sheet aluminum , tube aluminum, and welded steel tube. The tube structures are covered in aircraft fabric , much like wooden aircraft. Examples of metal-based amateur aircraft include: Composite material structures are made of cloth with

1316-432: The door, and into the hands of some extremely happy pilots". Data from Epic Aircraft General characteristics Performance Avionics Homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft , also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes , are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits. In

1363-599: The drag of rivets), the ability to construct compound curves, and the ability to place fiberglass or carbon fiber in optimal positions, orientations, and quantities. Drawbacks include the need to work with chemical products as well as low strength in directions perpendicular to fiber. Composites provide superb strength to their weight. Material stiffness dependent upon direction (as opposed to equal in all directions, as with metals) allows for advanced "elastic tailoring" of composite parts. Examples of amateur craft made of composite materials include: The safety record of homebuilts

1410-554: The first aircraft and hence the best known. For that reason, amateur-built aircraft associations will have more specialists for this type of craft than other kinds. The most commonly used woods are Sitka spruce and Douglas fir , which offer excellent strength-to-weight ratios. Wooden structural members are joined with adhesive, usually epoxy . Unlike the wood construction techniques used in other applications, virtually all wooden joints in aircraft are simple butt joints , with plywood gussets . Joints are designed to be stronger than

1457-455: The first conforming prototype was under construction and certification was then expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2016, with customer deliveries forecast for early 2017. In October 2017, Epic reported 76 outstanding orders of the US$ 3.25M aircraft. The first prototype had accumulated 400 hours, while the production-conforming second prototype was nearing first flight. Russian-owned Epic

Epic E1000 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1504-468: The first homebuilt aircraft. In 1928, Henri Mignet published plans for his HM-8 Pou-du-Ciel , as did Pietenpol for his Air Camper . Pietenpol later constructed a factory, and in 1933 began creating and selling partially constructed aircraft kits. In 1936, an association of amateur aviation enthusiasts was created in France. Many types of amateur aircraft began to make an appearance, and in 1938 legislation

1551-548: The high accident rate brought public condemnation and increasing regulation to amateur building. The resulting federal standards on design, engineering, stress analysis, use of aircraft-quality hardware and testing of aircraft brought an end to amateur building except in some specialized areas, such as racing. In 1946 Goodyear restarted the National Air Races, including a class for aircraft powered by 200 cubic inch and smaller engines. The midget racer class spread nationally in

1598-487: The holder to perform and sign off on most of the maintenance, repairs, and inspections themselves. Alberto Santos-Dumont was the first to offer for free construction plans, publishing drawings of his Demoiselle in the June 1910 edition of Popular Mechanics. The first aircraft to be offered for sale as plans, rather than a completed airframe, was the Baby Ace in the late 1920s. Homebuilt aircraft gained in popularity in

1645-401: The members. After the structure has been completed, the aircraft is covered in aircraft fabric (usually aircraft-grade polyester ). The advantage of this type of construction is that it does not require complex tools and equipment, instead employing commonplace items such as saw, planer, file, sandpaper, and clamps. Examples of amateur-built wood and fabric designs include: A recent trend

1692-408: The mid-1950s when EAA founder Paul Poberezny wrote a series of articles for the magazine Mechanix Illustrated where he explained how a person could buy a set of plans and build their own aircraft at home. In 1955, Poberezny co-founded, with Robert D. Blacker, EAA's first youth outreach program, Project Schoolflight , which brought "homebuilding" into high school industrial arts classes throughout

1739-472: The mid-1980s era, discouraged general aviation manufacturers from introducing new designs and led to homebuilts outselling factory built aircraft by five to one. The history of amateur-built aircraft can be traced to the beginning of aviation. Even if the Wright brothers , Clément Ader , and their successors had commercial objectives in mind, the first aircraft were constructed by passionate enthusiasts whose goal

1786-581: The publication to the Bonnier Corporation, the U.S. division of the Sweden -based Bonnier Group , along with four other magazines: Popular Photography, Boating, Sound and Vision , and American Photo . In July 2021, digital media entrepreneur and pilot Craig Fuller acquired Flying from the Bonnier Corporation and named the new parent company "Flying Media Group", with plans to expand its digital media platform, including online and mobile applications with

1833-466: The regulations. One of the terms applied to this concept is commonly referred to as "The 51% Rule", which requires that builders perform the majority of the fabrication and assembly to be issued a Certificate of Airworthiness as an Amateur Built aircraft. A small number of jet kitplanes have been built since the 1970s, including the tiny Bede Aircraft BD-5J . Van's Aircraft and Aircraft Kit Industry Association (AKIA) President Dick VanGrunsven

1880-698: The same rates for certified aircraft. Most nations' aviation regulations require amateur-built aircraft to be physically marked as such (for example in the U.K. "Occupant Warning – This aircraft ... is amateur built." must be displayed ), and extra flight testing is usually required before passengers (who are not pilots themselves) can be carried. The largest airshow in the world is the Experimental Aircraft Association 's annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin , which takes place in late July and early August. Other annual events are

1927-472: The surviving companies to retain older, proven designs. In recent years, the less restrictive regulations for homebuilts allowed a number of manufacturers to develop new and innovative designs; many can outperform certified production aircraft in their class. An example of high-end homebuilt design is Lancair , which has developed a number of high-performance kits. The most powerful is the Lancair Propjet ,

Epic E1000 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1974-405: The type and initial deliveries were targeted for the second half of 2015. In early 2014, the design was forecast for its first flight in June 2015, with certification then expected later in 2015. By October 2014, it had 60 orders and Epic targeted 50 sales per year. In October 2014, the manufacturer introduced the interior design which includes features such as club seating, adjustable tray tables in

2021-778: Was amended to provide for a Certificat de navigabilité restreint d'aéronef ( CNRA , " restricted operating certificate for aircraft "). 1946 saw the birth of the Ultralight Aircraft Association which in 1952 became the Popular Flying Association in the United Kingdom , followed in 1953 by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in the United States and the Sport Aircraft Association in Australia . The term "homebuilding" became popular in

2068-513: Was asked about the future of the kit aircraft industry in a wide-ranging interview in KitPlanes magazine in December 2012: I don't expect to see dramatic changes in the industry within the next five years. Ten years; who knows – it’s too dependent on fuel prices, FAA policy, etc. Overall, I think our industry will continue to mature, particularly as AKIA is successful in growing and having

2115-571: Was hoping at that time to complete type certification in 2018. The second prototype flew in January 2018. In 2018, the company hoped to convert its 85 reservations into firm orders and planned a production capacity of 50 aircraft per year. By 2018, the company had 250 employees, enough funds for certification and the initial production years. Eight to 12 aircraft are planned to be delivered in 2019, 24 in 2020, 36 in 2021 and 50 thereafter, with an ultimate market forecast of 80 to 90 units per year. The fuselage

2162-557: Was tested to 18 psi, nearly three times its normal 6.6 psi pressurization, while the wing was tested to 19,044 lb (8,638 kg), deflecting to 31 in (79 cm). By September 2018, after 700 hours of flight tests, Epic Aircraft maintained it would achieve its year-end type certification goal, with production certification following six months later. By November 2018, the two prototypes had accumulated 800 hours and Epic expected US type inspection authorization in December for an early 2019 type certification and deliveries soon after,

2209-594: Was to fly. Aviation took a leap forward with the industrialization that accompanied World War I . In the post-war period, manufacturers needed to find new markets and introduced models designed for tourism. However, these machines were affordable only by the very rich. Many U.S. aircraft designed and registered in the 1920s onward were considered "experimental" by the (then) CAA, the same registration under which modern homebuilts are issued Special Airworthiness Certificates . Many of these were prototypes, but designs such as Bernard Pietenpol 's first 1923 design were some of

#416583