State takes delivery of Quest's Kodiak 100
(Photo by KEITH KINNAIRD) Mike Pape, administrator of the Idaho Transportation Department’s Division of Aeronautics, outlines the missions the Quest Kodiak 100 will take part in.
(Photo by KEITH KINNAIRD) Jonathan Payne, Quest Aircraft Co.’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, hands off the key to a Kodiak 100 to Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Jerry Whitehead while Mike Pape, administrator of the Idaho Transportation Department’s Division of Aeronautics looks on.
SANDPOINT — The state of Idaho took delivery Wednesday of a Kodiak 100, the short takeoff and landing airplane built by Quest Aircraft Co. in Sandpoint.
“We believe in your product. The governor believes in your product,” Mike Pape, administrator of the Idaho Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics, said during a hand-off ceremony at Quest’s manufacturing plant.
Pape said the Kodiak’s primary mission will be search-and-rescue operations, which Idaho Code tasks the state with. Pape said Idaho is a strong aviation state with 5,095 registered pilots and 3,125 registered aircraft. As a result, it’s not uncommon for pilots to encounter trouble.
“One of things they do is get lost and have accidents and land in the Salmon River and think they can make a cellphone call out,” said Pape.
Pape said the state had been using Cessna 182s and 206s, which were limited in cargo capacity and range. Moreover, the Kodiak will be able to access all 122 general aviation airports inspected by the state, including 31 backcountry airstrips popular with Idaho pilots.
The Kodiak’s versatility, meanwhile, imparts a Swiss Army knife quality. It will also be used by the Idaho Office of Emergency Management to conduct aerial monitoring of forest fires and flooding, which will eliminate the need to rent a Blackhawk helicopter from the Idaho Air National Guard for $3,800 an hour.
The Kodiak will also be pressed into service conducting surveillance and support for Idaho State Police, in addition to bark beetle monitoring on state forest lands. The Idaho Department of Lands took an interest in using the Kodiak for beetle surveys thanks to its ability to fly slow and low. Its spacious windows in the fuselage will also aid in the photographing of beetle-stricken forests.
The state had been using a Beechcraft King Air to ferry state agency officials and other dignitaries around the state, which was costing Idaho approximately $1,100 per hour.
“Now we’ve got something that can fly our passengers — about the same amount of people – for about half that price,” Pape said.
State officials on hand for Wednesday’s ceremony included Ross Engle, ITD’s flight operations director; Jim Hinen, pilot and safety education coordinator; Idaho National Guard Brig. Gen. Brad Richey, state Representative Sage Dixon, state Senator Jim Woodward, ITD Board Chairman Jerry Whitehead and ITD Board District 1 representative Jim Coleman. While former Sen. Shawn Keough did not attend Wednesday’s event, Dixon said she played an integral role in ITD’s acquisition of a Kodiak airplane from Quest.
“We’re proud to have been able to put this together for you,” Whitehead said.
Jonathan Payne, Quest’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, was aware that the state was kicking the tires on the Kodiak, although he was not immediately aware how long the state had been eying the airplane.
“There was some rumblings about the fact that they might want to purchase an airplane sometime in the future. What I didn’t realize at that is that this conversation had been going on for like a decade,” said Payne.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.