AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011 - 60

the pavement is a simple matter after the main gear touches down. Normal landings with light braking were smooth and consistent, but the Kodiak wasn’t meant for such gentle treatment. At Stidham’s request, we tried a few “plop-it-and-stop-it” landings that dramatically reduce the amount of runway required. Slowing the final approach speed to 70 KIAS, eliminating the flare, and briskly flattening the prop to its Beta setting on touchdown while simultaneously moving the condition lever to low idle, raising the flaps, and braking

aggressively brought the ground roll to less than 700 feet (with the aid of a seven-knot headwind). The Kodiak’s maximum demonstrated crosswind component is 20 knots. “You can land the Kodiak gently, or you can land it short,” Stidham said. “But you really can’t land it gently and short.” Stidham, a six-year Quest veteran, is one of the company’s more senior employees. “There were only 30 people at Quest when I started,” said the former corporate pilot and A&P mechanic. “So I’ve seen a lot of changes in a short period of time.”
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Short-field takeoffs were particularly impressive. Holding the brakes with flaps at 20 degrees, rudder trim set, high idle, and 1,700 pounds of torque requires stronger legs than mine. The stall warning chirped near the 50 KIAS rotation speed, but the airplane’s angle of attack quickly diminished as airspeed increased beyond 100 KIAS in a 17-degree nose-up pitch attitude. Ground rolls were typically no more than 350 feet. Despite having occupied the left seat for less than one hour, the airplane’s performance (and Stidham’s presence) gave me the confidence to try the much shorter, narrower, uneven, and obstructed Davis Airport. I needn’t have been concerned as the Kodiak handled those aspects of its new surroundings with casual indifference. Shutdown at the airplane’s home base of Montgomery County Airport in Gaithersburg, Maryland, was standard, too: low idle, prop feather, generator and alternator Off, and fuel condition lever to Cutoff. Serving them all The Kodiak was made for missionaries and the company is proud of its airplane’s role in doing good works and saving souls. But the Kodiak’s robust design, rugged construction, and attention to detail are meant for the here and now—not just the hereafter. Aluminum castings on its landing gear appear capable of withstanding severe abuse. And the six tracks for its Fowler flaps are strong enough to hang from and do pull-ups. Interior details, logical layout, and fit and finish are highly refined—unusual attributes for a relatively young company that has manufactured fewer than 50 airplanes. Quest’s uncompromising approach to designing and building the Kodiak for its own special mission has resulted in a versatile aircraft that can accomplish many other tasks, too—and buyers ranging from parachute jumpers to government agencies have figured that out. And whether customers intend to carry third-world tribesmen to distant medical care or hunters into and out of the wild, Quest is devoted to serving them all. E-mail the author at dave.hirschman@ aopa.org.

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2011

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