Quest Kodiak Fulfills Promise, Delivers Aircraft
"At Cost"
Quest Aircraft turned
over the first of many short takeoff and landing, heavy-hauling, single turboprop
Kodiak aircraft to be sold "at cost" as part of the manufacturer's
Quest Mission Team (QMT) program. The Kodiak was designed for the rigors of
off-airport mission work and can carry 3,100 pounds (or 10 passengers) into the
air after a 760-foot ground roll, cruise more than 1,000 miles at 179 knots,
and land in a little more than 900 feet.
Both
the company, Quest Aircraft, and the aircraft, the Kodiak, were created with
the intent of filling the demands of mission aviation work. The company owes its
origins and much of its startup capital to money raised by churches and mission
aviation organizations.
In
return Quest has said it will deliver every 11th aircraft as a QMT plane to one
of those organizations, "at cost." Quest has now met that goal with
its first delivery to the Mission Aviation Fellowship, and as production
continues to ramp up, a second QMT aircraft is already on the line at the
company's Sandpoint, Idaho, facility. The unique capabilities of the aircraft
have earned interest from other markets, as well.
Last
July, demand led the company to earn a standard airworthiness certificate and
type certification for parachute-jump operations. The company says that
"is a first for an aircraft delivered new from the factory to the end
user." The Kodiak comes off the assembly line built for abusive
off-airport use in very demanding terrain, with float attachments already built
into the airframe and dual Garmin G1000s, standard.
Photo of the first mission plane to go to the mission field.
This was at a dedication ceremony at the production plant
About 300 employees and guests praying over the plane
and dedicating it to the Lord's service
in the jungles of
Africa and other places to be reached for the gospel
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Quest Kodiak keeps a promise
Twenty-four years ago a pilot with the Mission Aviation
Fellowship (MAF), David L. Voetmann, sat down with Glasair and GlaStar designer
Tom Hamilton to describe an airplane needed in the bush country of Africa.
That aircraft, now called the Quest Kodiak, was delivered this month.
MAF and 15 additional missionary organizations have expressed
interest or have become partners in the aircraft. To make the dream possible,
Quest Aircraft Company of Sandpoint, Idaho, designed a financing plan 11 years
ago to provide one missionary aircraft at cost for every 10 Kodiaks sold on the
commercial market. You may have seen the aircraft over the years at EAA
AirVenture in Oshkosh.
Although operation in Africa was the original goal, this first
missionary aircraft is headed for Papua, Indonesia. A primary purpose was to
have an aircraft that can use jet fuel rather than aviation gasoline. Jet fuel
is more available in remote areas than avgas. Another was to give it the power
and ruggedness to land on a mountainside using rough dirt runways. Its exhaust
pipes aim backward, rather than down, to avoid setting tall grasses on fire.
Because the Kodiak 100 can carry nearly twice the cargo of the
C206, the amount of medicine, food, or disaster relief supplies MAF delivers
will dramatically increase, while reducing operating costs. Increased
efficiency and lower costs will be a definite benefit to MAF. Of the more than
1,000 Christian and humanitarian organizations served by the agency, many are
increasing their demand for MAF flights.