Quest Kodiak

Design and development

Engineering design began in 1999, while the company organization was being finalized. The goal was to create a utilitarian vehicle capable of carrying 10+ people, using aluminum construction, short-field capability, and good useful load. Large contributors to the Kodiak's STOL performance are a fixed, discontinuous leading edge on the outboard wing and the high performance Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprop engine of 750 hp (559 kW).

Passenger seats in the Kodiak are track-mounted and easily removed. It has standard access doors for pilot and co-pilot positions, with a clamshell door (48.5" × 50") in the aft fuselage for cargo loading or for access to the other eight passenger positions (the lower half of the clamshell door has automatically extending/retracting steps).

In June 2010, Wipaire, Inc. was granted Supplemental Type Certification allowing Wipline 7000 Amphibious Floats to be installed on Kodiaks. In November of that same year it was also certified for flight into known icing after the installation of a TKS system, which protects exposed surfaces via glycol-based fluids.

Operational history

The first Kodiak was delivered to launch customer Spirit Air in January 2008. By September 2013, 100 Kodiaks had been built, with the 100th aircraft being delivered to US operator Sunstate Aviation. The Kodiak was designed for use by mission societies, and several aircraft have been delivered to organisations such as Mission Aviation Fellowship and JAARS. Some of the Kodiaks built have been produced under Quest Aircraft's Quest Mission Team (QMT) program. The QMT program aims to sell one of every 11 Kodiaks built to a mission organisation at cost price.

The largest single order was announced on 15 November 2016 for 20 aircraft from Sky Trek, to be delivered within a year. Tokyo-based Sky Trek plans to begin air charter services in the first half of 2017 and is a start-up membership-based operator owned by Mitsui and Setouchi Holdings. Setouchi was the Quest dealer for Japan and purchased Quest Aircraft in 2015.

The 200th aircraft was delivered in December 2016 for a record yearly production of 36 Kodiaks, while the production facility was extended by 25% in September to cope with growing demand.

Variants

Kodiak 100

Basic model, FAA certificated 31 May 31, 2007.

Air Claw

A surveillance modification by Northrop Grumman with a FLIR systems Star Saphire sensor and a Persistent Surveillance Systems Hawkeye wide area sensor.

Operators

Canada

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Ecuador

Tame Amazonia

India

Seabird Seaplane Private Ltd

Indonesia

Mission Aviation Fellowship

Japan

Setouchi Seaplanes

Panama

Arrendamientos Aéreos

Papua New Guinea

JAARS

United States

Gem Air

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Specifications

Data from Brochure

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Capacity: 9 passengers

Payload: 248 cu ft (no passengers) (7.02 m³)

Length: 34’2” (10.42 m)

Wingspan: 45 ft (13.7 m)

Height: 15’3” (4.65 m)

Wing area: 240 ft² (22.3 m²)

Aspect ratio: 8.44

Empty weight: 3,770 lb (1,710 kg)

Useful load: 3,535 lb (1,603 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 7,255 lb (3,290 kg)

Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprop, 750 hp takeoff, 700 hp continuous (559 kW takeoff, 522 kW continuous)

Propellers: Constant speed, feathering, reversible propeller

Propeller diameter: 96 in (2.44 m)

Performance

Maximum speed: 183 ktas (339 km/h)

Cruise speed: 174 ktas (322 km/h) 12,000 ft [3,700 m]

Stall speed: 77 kcas (143 km/h) flaps up, 60 kcas / 111 km/h flaps down

Range: 1,132 nm (2,096 km) 135 ktas, 12,000 ft [3,700 m]

Endurance: 9.9 hrs (95 ktas, 12,000 ft [3,700m])

Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7620 m)

Rate of climb: (max. cont. at Sea Level) 1,371 ft/min (418 m/min) 874 ft/min @ 10,000 ft

Wing loading: 30.1 lbs/sq ft (147 kg/m²)

Fuel consumption: at 174 kn (322 km/h): 48 gph, 182 L/hr (3.63 nmi/gal, 56.5 L/100km)

Takeoff Ground Roll: 934 ft / 285 m

Braked Roll: (w/o reverse) 705 ft / 215 m