The FAA has presented a production certificate for the Quest Kodiak to the company at its headquarters in Sandpoint, Idaho. The tough, single-engine turboprop aircraft was originally designed for missionary work but has attracted a variety of buyers and potential buyers, including backcountry airlines and private individuals.
“Achieving this final step in the process of designing, producing, and delivering a brand new aircraft is an important milestone for Quest,” said Paul Schaller, Quest Aircraft’s president and CEO.
With the production certification in hand, Quest is able to issue standard airworthiness certificates for the Kodiak. The company has ramped up production to three aircraft a month.
“We’ve been very blessed over the last couple years at Quest,” Schaller said. “We received our type certification in May 2007, just 32 months after the first flight of the Kodiak prototype. We began customer deliveries later that year and have delivered 22 Kodiaks to date. The production certificate will allow us to streamline the production and delivery process over time, as we take responsibility for inspections and coordinate changes with the FAA’s Seattle manufacturing inspection district office.”
The Kodiak can take off in less than 700 feet at a full gross takeoff weight of 6,750 pounds and climb more than 1,500 feet per minute. A three-panel Garmin G1000 avionics suite is standard equipment.
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