Quest Aircraft

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Quest Aircraft Company, located in Sandpoint, Idaho, USA, produces the Kodiak, a single engine turboprop high wing STOL aircraft. The company was started in an effort to design an aircraft suitable for humanitarian applications throughout the world. The Kodiak's high useful-load is approximately equal to its empty weight, making it a very effective cargo airplane. An effort was made with the design and production of the Kodiak to produce an aircraft that outperformed its competition while selling for significantly less.

Large contributors to the Kodiak's STOL performance are a fixed, discontinuous leading edge on the outboard wing and the popular, high performance Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 turboprop engine (750 hp @ TO).The PT6 also has a reputation for reliability. Variants of the engine have been in service since the 1960s.

The Kodiak aircraft was originally designed and developed by 'Mission Aviation Fellowship', a missionary group (Originally started by military aviators from WWII) who use aircraft and technology to reach those in difficult geographical regions where conventional transportation and communications is non-existent. They are otherwise known as 'bush' pilots.

Quest Aircraft was started as a private commercial company to finish the later portions of the Kodiak build. Mission Aviation Fellowship could not take on a commercial endeavor because of their non-profit status. In the last 10 years, Mission Aviation fellowship funded over $25 million U.S. dollars for the design, engineering and physical build of the Kodiak.

See also

[http://www.questaircraft.com Quest Aircraft Home Page]

[http://www.jetcam.com/studies/us_quest.htm CAM Case Study of Quest Kodiak]

Notes

*Marsh, Alton K. "AOPA Pilot" 2006