Epic E1000 GX: Buyer’s and Investor’s Guide

Pros: The E1000GX is built entirely from carbon fibre and delivers jet like cruise speeds of over 330 knots.

Cons: Epic has a relatively young production history meaning that its support network and parts availability aren’t as developed as competitors such as Pilatus or Daher.

Flying:

The E1000 GX is powered by a 1,200 horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67A engine. It is capable of a maximum cruise speed of 333 KTAS, with a range of 1,560nm. Compared with Daher’s TBM 980, the E1000GX is marginally faster but loses meaningfully on range, with the TBM’s max range at 1,730nm. Although the E1000 GX has a 34,000ft service ceiling, 3,000ft higher than the TBM 980.

The aircraft climbs fast. It is capable of achieving its maximum altitude in around 18 minutes — a rate exceeding 2000ft per minute.

With economy cruise sitting around 260 KTAS, the E1000 GX burns less than 50 gallons per hour. This allows operators to have flexibility and trade speed for range.  The Garmin G1000 NXi flight deck with GFC 700 autopilot helps keep pilot workload low, making it well suited for single pilot operations.

With a maximum range of 1,796mi (2,890km), this graphic depicts the distances E1000GX can cover in a single flight.

Owning:

New E1000 GX deliveries are currently priced at around $5.1m, positioning it competitively against the TBM 980. It also has a larger cabin than the TBM 980 and a higher service ceiling. The aircraft comes with an Epic airframe warranty of five years, or 1,000 hours. It also comes with a Pratt & Whitney engine warranty of seven years, or 2500 hours, and a Garmin avionics warranty of two years or 800 hours. The PT6A-67A engine also benefits from Pratt & Whitney’s established global support network.

The primary ownership caveat is Epic’s immature production history. With only around 100 aircraft delivered as of 2025, there aren’t many pre-owned E1000 GX’s available. Running costs are competitive for the performance on offer, and all carbon frame requires less corrosion maintenance than conventional metal structures.

Travelling:

The E1000 GX cabin measures 15ft long, 4ft 7in wide and 4ft 11 high. It features reclining leather seats, electrically dimming windows, USB ports, cup holders and individual air vents. Also high-speed Starlink internet comes as standard with the E1000GX, making it a productive environment for business use.

Where the E1000GX does fall short however is the lack of a lavatory, which becomes noticeable on longer flights. Seating up to five passengers plus the pilot, it offers a comfortable club configuration for smaller groups but would become uncomfortable for larger groups. For the owner-pilot flying solo or with two to four passengers on fast regional hops, the E1000 GX gives an experience which feels far closer to a light jet rather than a turboprop.

Hard Facts: Epic E1000 GX

• Range: 1,796mi/2,890km/1,560nm
• Maximum speed: 383mph/617kmph/333KTAS
• Service ceiling: 34,000ft
• Capacity: 5 pax + pilot
• Typical crew: 1 Pilot
• Typical price (new): $5.1m (£3.86m)