Quest Aircraft is preparing to fly its first production Kodiak single-turboprop utility aircraft as it progresses towards US certification by the end of the first quarter.
Aircraft 001 is complete and is being readied for flight at Quest's Sandpoint, Idaho facility.
The Kodiak prototype has flown more than 500h, and the turboprop will be joined by 001 for the final function and reliability testing required for certification.
The first Kodiak for a customer, aircraft 002, is in final assembly. Quest says it has a three-year backlog of orders for the $1.3 million, 10-seat Kodiak, with 12-14 aircraft expected to be delivered this year and production planned to ramp up to one a week.
Quest Aircraft is largely funded by missionary aviation organisations, which have provided the company with financing in return for receiving aircraft at cost.
The company has 13 Quest Mission Team members, and says that more than 30 Kodiaks have so far been committed to mission and humanitarian use.
Source: Flight International
