Most aircraft in this series have enjoyed a long production life and evolved from many earlier models. However, not all aircraft become classics this way and this issue we explore one that in just 15 years has become synonymous with Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) operations from small and rugged airstrips – the Daher Kodiak.
Now, while it’s not unusual to see why aircraft are designed for a very specific purpose, sometimes that specific purpose might be a little surprising. In the late 1990s, Quest Aircraft was formed in the United States with the sole intention of designing and producing a better utility aircraft that could be used for humanitarian operations in fairly hostile environments. The end result was the Kodiak – a single-engine turboprop aircraft with fixed gear, high wings, an unpressurised cabin, with the ability to accommodate up to 10 people and also be very capable in STOL operations.
After a slow start, the momentum picked up and the first customer delivery was made in 2008. It is now seen flying around the world not only for the humanitarian flights it was designed for but as a general freighter, business charter, skydiving and surveillance, with one model fitted with carbon fibre floats to allow the Kodi…
