Kodiak 100 N708 s/n 100-0007 on the ramp in Inuvik.

When Alaska Airlines CEO Bruce Kennedy retired in 1991 he devoted his time to humanitarian and religious organizations.  While doing missionary work he recognized the need for a modern, reliable bush plane that could get in and out of the short, rough fields at tiny African villages.  To meet that need he founded the Quest Aircraft Company and oversaw the design and certification of the Kodiak, a lightweight turbine-powered STOL aircraft.  Tragically, he lost his life in a crash just as the Kodiak was about to go into production in 2007.

The aircraft pictured here is the seventh unit off the line, delivered to the US Department of the Interior in late 2008.  Quest currently has a three year backlog of orders and intends to produce at least 80 airframes in 2009-10.