Spokane Turbine Center Takes Delivery of the KODIAK
Specialized Training Organization is Quest’s Second Customer Delivery

January 31, 2008, Sandpoint, ID...Quest Aircraft Company is pleased to announce that it has delivered its second KODIAK, which was accepted by Spokane Turbine Center in a delivery ceremony held today at the Quest facility.

Located at Felts Field Airport in Spokane, Washington, the Spokane Turbine Center, a not-for-profit 501(c)3, will offer prerequisite and customized flight and maintenance training for the KODIAK, as well as for the Garmin G1000 and the Pratt & Whitney PT6A engine, for the mission aviation community, aviation students and humanitarian organizations. 

“Turbine aircraft are changing the way mission organizations are flying,” said Jeff Turcotte, Executive Director of Spokane Turbine Center. “The KODIAK is ushering in a new era for missionary, humanitarian and bush flying. Combining rugged reliability with a modern STOL design, top-of the-line avionics and PT6A reliability, the KODIAK is the ultimate aircraft for the next generation of mission and bush pilots. For those in need of prerequisite training before attending initial training at Quest, we can provide a cost-effective training solution. We are delighted that we can put S/N 001 to work in such a great capacity."

“Mission aviation organizations are depending on the KODIAK to meet their needs for years to come and Spokane Turbine Center’s purpose is to provide customized training at an affordable price to these organizations so they can fulfill their training requirements,” Turcotte continued.

Founded in 2007, the company’s primary focus is to help mission organizations with flight and maintenance training. Spokane Turbine Center will be working closely with Moody Aviation to provide turbine training to Moody Aviation students, along with other missionary groups and mission aviation training schools.

“We are extremely pleased that Spokane Turbine Center is the customer for our second KODIAK delivery,” said Paul Schaller, Quest Aircraft’s President and CEO. “Quest was founded to meet a very specific need for mission and humanitarian organizations. While the commercial marketplace is very important to us, our larger purpose is service-oriented. The more airplanes we sell to commercial customers, the more aircraft we can provide for mission aviation purposes. Spokane Turbine Center shares our same philosophy, and we are pleased that they will be helping these organizations receive the required training.”

The KODIAK received FAA Type Certification on May 30 2007, and has been working with the FAA to achieve its production certificate. Quest has seen strong market acceptance in key market segments, including personal use, Part 135 operations, government, and humanitarian organizations. Customer orders have exceeded expectations and the company has a 3-year backlog, which it is working to bring down as production ramps up.

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 700 feet at full gross takeoff weight of 6,750 lbs and climb at over 1,700 feet per minute. A 3-panel Garmin G1000 integrated avionics suite is standard equipment on the KODIAK. This is the first installation in a turboprop aircraft of the popular G1000.

Quest Aircraft Company, LLC, the manufacturer of the KODIAK, is headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho, currently employs more than 175 skilled personnel, and was established in 2001 to build a rugged utility aircraft for mission aviation organizations to operate in the most remote areas of the world. For more information on Spokane Turbine Center, please go to www.spokaneturbinecenter.com.

Press Contact:
Julie Stone
(912) 898-8673 ofc
(912) 398-0498 mobile