Quest delivers planes to Fish & Wildlife

SANDPOINT — When nine airplanes are turned over to the federal government today on a Wisconsin airfield, it will finalize a deal that started in North Idaho.

The Kodiaks, manufactured by Quest Aircraft Company, are a top of the line utility plane that will be used by the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife division for migratory bird studies, Julie Stone, of Quest’s public relations, said.

The Sandpoint company will deliver the planes today at an Oshkosh, Wis., air show.

The AirVenture show, the largest in the nation, is a platform that brings manufacturers and customers together, Stone said.

Although Quest has been through a series of transitions that included recent reductions in its labor force, and fewer hours for local workers because of a grounded economy, the company is looking to a solid future.

“We’ve made connections in a market that’s been generally challenging,” Paul Schaller, Quest Aircraft’s president and CEO, said.

“The market has been challenging not just for us, but for every aircraft manufacturer in the world.”

Established in 2001, the Sandpoint company went from having a workforce of around 300 to 215 as the economy slowed to a stall and fewer aircraft were sold.

Despite the downturn, the company’s employees have held on, something for which Schaller is grateful.

“We have very supportive employees,” he said.

The latest sales are the terminus, for now, of a contract with the federal government. Quest produces about two planes per month, Schaller said, but has the capacity to double production.

The latest features of the Kodiak, a versatile, 10-place, single-engine turboprop that has been used in remote regions of the world for humanitarian work from Borneo to Haiti, as well as assisting in the Gulf of Mexico cleanup, includes flotation and an ice protection system.

The Oshkosh show is a good platform for Quest to show its plane’s capabilities, Schaller said.

“We’re getting lots of exposure,” he said. “We’ve come a long ways.”

The company is ready to ramp up production, he said, and expand into new markets.