KODIAK receives certification for more customer options

Quest Aircraft Company has received final approval from the FAA for the KODIAK's External Cargo Compartment (ECC) and Air Conditioning system. Both options have been installed on customer aircraft and are fully operational. Both can be retrofitted to any KODIAK ever built.

"We have continued to work on enhancements and improvements to the KODIAK that are important to customers," stated Paul Schaller, Quest Aircraft's President and CEO. "Both air conditioning and the ECC are options that many customers and prospects are interested in. Several KODIAKs with air conditioning are on order, and we expect to see even more customer demand for this system.

"The ECC has been a requested option since its development, offering an additional 65 cubic feet of storage space," added Schaller. "We have orders for ECC retrofits and production-line installations and over time expect about 15% of the KODIAK fleet will be equipped with this option. It is the first external compartment certified to the latest flammability and system protection regulations for lightning."

Since receiving FAA certification in May 2007, the KODIAK has been float-certified, increased its max gross weight, and received certification of the TKS ice protection system. In addition, the aircraft is now certified in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and South Africa, with Brazilian certification underway. The KODIAK is deployed in more than 10 countries around the world.

The KODIAK's rugged aluminum construction combines superior STOL performance and high useful load. It offers proven turbine reliability with the Pratt & Whitney PT6 turbine engine, is capable of working off floats without structural upgrades and has the ability to land on unimproved surfaces. The KODIAK can take off in under 1,000 feet at full gross takeoff weight of 7,255 lbs and climb at over 1,300 feet per minute. A 3-panel Garmin G1000 integrated avionics suite including Synthetic Vision Technology is standard equipment on the KODIAK.