Backcountry Capability: Uptown Style

Daher, the French industrial conglomerate and parent company of the SOCATA and Quest aerospace concerns, has debuted its new Kodiak-900—a single-engine, STOL turboprop—at AirVenture 2022. The new aircraft is a larger, faster version of Daher’s popular Kodiak-100, and joins its robust progenitor and the TBM-910 and 960 turboprops atop Daher’s line of innovative, practical, and stylish machines.

The Kodiak-900, which received FAA certification on 20 July 2022, is produced in Sandpoint, Idaho—along with the Kodiak-100, which Daher intends to continue producing. The new aircraft inherits its ancestor’s backcountry formidability, but offers operators an increased, 210-knot cruise speed, a greater useful load, and a maximum range of 1,129-nautical-miles. The Kodiak-900’s stretched fuselage encompasses 309-cubic-feet of cabin space—twenty-percent more than the 100-series—and pampers passengers in an all-new interior evocative of the luxurious and refined confines of the Kodiak-900’s TBM stablemates.

In addition to enhancing its new offering’s speed, space, and style, Daher has lessened the Kodiak 900’s specific fuel consumption by nine-percent, thereby lowering the aircraft’s cost-per-seat-mile and direct operating costs.

Daher Aircraft Division senior vice president Nicolas Chabbert states: “This is another answer to the commitment of enhancing sustainability and improving the carbon footprint of general aviation. The Kodiak 900 is in a category of its own: a highly-versatile, unpressurized, utility turboprop-airplane that can carry impressive payloads while cruising comfortably at 210 KTS in refined luxury.”

The Kodiak 900 is powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada’s 900-shaft horsepower PT6A-140A turboprop engine. The powerplant delivers the best high and hot performance in its class, and is optimized for the demanding ground and flight environments characteristic of the utility aircraft mission and market. Worldwide, PT6A-140 series engines have logged more than two-million flight-hours.

Cognizant of the fact that a robust and reliable engine is of little use without an equally robust and reliable propeller system—Daher provisioned the Kodiak-900 with a new, constant-speed, full-feathering, hydraulically-actuated, five-blade composite propeller from Hartzell. The system’s design and low 1,900 rpm takeoff and approach setting contribute to the Kodiak-900’s low noise level of 79.5 dB, and allow the aircraft to operate in the most strictly regulated noise sensitive areas.

The Kodiak-900’s increased cabin capacity; powerful and durable drivetrain; and rugged airframe offer private users and air-carriers alike a desirable combination of speed, payload, and range. The aircraft is an excellent platform for cargo, small package freight, and backcountry charter operations.

Development of the Kodiak-900 began in 2016. Three test aircraft have thus far been built: a static test airframe for structural testing, a flying prototype for flight testing, and the first conforming production aircraft for FAA function and reliability testing. Maiden flight of the Kodiak 900 occurred on 28 February 2020. The test program has accumulated over 600-hours of flight-testing and 800-plus hours of ground runtime across the test fleet. Deliveries of the Kodiak-900 are slated to commence in 2023.

FMI: www.kodiak.aero