“The Epic E1000 GX is a fantastic airplane. Probably one of the funniest things about it is that most air traffic controllers refer to me as ‘Epic jet.’ It happened just this weekend out of Riverside (KRAL), where ATC was calling another plane and was referring to me as that ‘Epic jet.’ It’s common, but I’m not sure if it’s because they are unfamiliar with the plane since it’s relatively new or because of the speeds that I am going,” wondered Aaron VanTrojen, who has owned the six-place single-engine turboprop for a little over a year and a half.
“This can also cause controllers a little disruption when I’m coming into terminal areas because we slow down. They see our speeds at altitude, and when we start coming down on approaches, we slow down significantly, much slower than a jet does. Most controllers do not expect us to get so slow as quickly as we do. So now, when I begin a descent into Puerto Vallarta (MMPR), for example, I tell them what my speeds are planned to be in the terminal area. It’s a benefit not to have to come shooting through an approach at over 200 knots; we can come in nice and slow.”
This aspect is just one of the many that VanTrojen enjoys about his Epic E1000 GX. The Epic is the third aircraft that the founder and CEO of Geneva Financial has owned. The mortgage industry executive’s incremental aircraft ownership journey has consistently allowed him to fly faster, higher, and with more payload.
“It started in 2019 when I was transitioning from a Cirrus SR22T. We had a deposit on a new Vision Jet, which I had test flown and loved. It was an easy transition from what I was flying, but I didn’t fully understand the capabilities of that plane. Especially flying out of Stellar Airpark (P19), which has a short runway, in the heat of the summer, I now had important considerations, like weight restrictions. So, I was getting concerned about that. We had scheduled my transition training in Tennessee, but then Covid hit, and my training was canceled. At that time, the mortgage industry was experiencing serious uncertainties, as did the entire economy, so we canceled our purchase,” VanTrojen recalled.
“Then I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do now.’ And my next-door neighbor, who was flying a Pilatus PC-12 as a charter pilot, said I should just get a Piper Meridian. That way, I could learn how to fly a turboprop and then figure out where to go from there.”
VanTrojen flew his Meridian for only a year while working up to his next plane. He quickly realized that another aircraft, the progress of which he’d been tracking for several years, would be the perfect next step.
“I had been watching the Epic go through its process of going from an experimental aircraft to a certified one. I started calling them and decided that was the right plane for me. I needed something relatively small since I didn’t need to carry many passengers and wanted something fast. Speed was the selling point for me. And I couldn’t find any plane that matched it in its class. Especially flying in and out of Stellar in the heat of the Arizona summer.”
Not only is the PT6A-67A-powered Epic fast, but VanTrojen also reported that it has attractive payload capabilities – especially compared to the Meridian.
“I learned quickly with the Meridian that it’s not always a true six-passenger airplane. It may have six seats, but you will typically not put six people in it – unless you are just hopping up to Sedona for breakfast. It has weight restrictions. The Epic’s payload is 1,100 pounds, with fuel full. While it’s unlikely that you will put six people in it with full fuel, you can probably get five, and certainly four, with luggage. To have that capability and not have to reduce the fuel load is a huge benefit and selling point. I love to take every trip with full fuel, even if I don’t need it. I would never want to be that guy with fuel concerns and never have been.”
Not only can you fill the tanks and go in the Epic, but its runway operations are also noteworthy, VanTrojen advises.
“I can take off from my home base in Chandler in the heat of the summer with zero concerns about the runway length. The Epic takes off in only half the runway’s distance at Stellar, about 2,200 feet. I’m using half the runway, approximately, to get off the ground, and the Epic stops in even less than half the runway. And that’s in the summer, so if you can get in and out of here without any issues during the hot months – you can get in or out of just about anywhere. So the performance is unbeatable,” he stated.
“The Epic is just very, very capable and is exceptionally fast. I cruise at roughly 305 knots and have even gone faster than that with no winds. I typically cruise at 34,000 feet, where my fuel burn is about forty-eight gallons per hour. Which is not bad at all, especially when compared to a jet. And a smaller jet will go how much faster? Not a lot!”
VanTrojen first became acquainted with Epic’s performance characteristics during initial transition training with the aircraft.
“I went to Bend, Oregon for transition training in the aircraft because they didn’t have a simulator then. Now they do. So, the transition training was all in aircraft, and in fact, my plane was missing a document from the FAA at first, so we went out the first day and did training in the owner’s plane. But it was great training nonetheless. The insurance required me to do fifty mentor hours, so we did nine hours in Bend, and then I had a mentor pilot to knock out the other forty-one hours with me the next week. It was a lot of flying,” he said.
“I did fifty hours of flying in about ten days. My mentor pilot formerly flew the F-18 and had accomplished multiple combat tours. It was really intense training. He pushed me to my limits as a pilot and made me exceptionally better. The speed of the plane at altitude is not an issue; it’s irrelevant when it comes to from a safety perspective. This is because you can slow down when you are coming into terminal areas, so you don’t have to come racing in like a jet. The airplane also has excellent handling characteristics at low speeds, so you can stay within your comfort envelope – even with its very efficient design.”
Just as the aircraft delivery and initial training events were a personal experience, VanTrojen reports that Epic’s customer service network is similarly focused on the pilot.
“The process of getting my plane was fantastic. Epic has great customer service, with continuous progress updates as my plane was being built. There was a slight delay in delivery, but it was to be expected and was not too long.”
“While jets are a bit quicker than the Epic, the maintenance costs are significantly higher. You can buy a used jet for less than a new Epic, but the annual costs are astronomically high comparatively. My plane’s first annual [inspection] was only about $20,000. It was up there [in Bend] for a considerable amount of time, though, because in the first year of production, they realized many little things needed to be corrected. They essentially gave me a new airplane after the inspection, which was great.”
Looking forward, VanTrojen only sees himself flying this plane well into the future since he feels there isn’t a better one on the market today. The Epic is the perfect aircraft for his current mission. He enjoys an attractive advertised maximum range of 1,560 nautical miles, good runway performance, ample payload, and blistering speed.
“I do a ton of flying around the West Coast; California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Texas is also really easy. I also fly to Puerto Vallarta once a month for pleasure. I typically don’t fly the Epic to the East Coast because using the airlines is easier if I have to fly five or six hours. I’ve taken it as far as Seattle thus far.”
Overall, VanTrojen’s ownership journey thus far has been entirely positive. As with other changes the company has implemented, he patiently awaits an important all-weather addition to the aircraft’s capability list.
“The only question now is when Epic will receive its FIKI (flight into known icing) certification. They are in testing with the FAA, and once approved, the whole operational fleet gets certified. I would love to see that happen sometime this year.”