PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A single-engine plane rivaling business jets has been named "The Coolest Thing Made in Oregon."
The E1000 GX aircraft, built in Bend by Epic Aircraft, was selected out of more than 250 nominations for the Coolest Thing Made in Oregon contest held Oct. 23 by Oregon Business & Industry and Here is Oregon.
"We're honored to have landed the top spot," said Epic Aircraft CEO Doug King. "We build a high-performance, single-engine turboprop, from start to finish. What comes in as a roll of carbon fiber fabric in one end of the factory, comes out of the other end as a beautiful, sleek airplane built by a talented team of over 475 employees. I am really proud of what we've accomplished."
According to Epic Aircraft, the six-seater plane is the fastest and most fuel-efficient single-engine plane in its class -- featuring a 1,200-horsepower turboprop engine that can reach 333 knots and 34,000 feet in the air.
The plane can also fly halfway across the U.S. “pretty quickly,” King told KOIN 6 News, noting he traveled from Bend to Portland for the contest in less than 30 minutes.
The planes are available for a cool $4.5 million.
Epic Aircraft started as a kit airplane company in Bend and delivered its first certified airplane in 2020. The company delivers around two planes per month and will deliver its 80th certified plane by the end of 2024, King said.
The Epic Aircraft CEO said he plans to hire 50 employees by the end of the year, noting the company has been able to grow as Bend is home to other carbon fiber businesses.
“The Bend area has a lot of carbon fiber fabrication and technicians, and engineers, so it’s sort of a local area specialty, kind of like beer," King said.
In King’s point of view, the coolest thing about the plane “is that it’s all made right here in Bend, Oregon, start to finish.” He added, “I see the people every day here, the more than 475 employees that it takes to put this together and the coolest thing is that it’s such a great team.”
Other finalists in the competition included Digit-- a humanoid robot from Agility Robotics -- beard oil from Bearded Oregon, and Beaver Brand Mustard from Beaverton Foods.
