Five Months Into Flight Testing, Company Says Aircraft Performs Well

Flight testing on Quest Aircraft's Kodiak continues, as the aircraft approaches 100 hours in as many flights. The aircraft started its official flight testing last week that will lead to FAA certification.

"With our last test flight, we have successfully flown the Kodiak at all corners of the CG envelope," stated Tom Hamilton, Chief Technical Officer. "The aircraft has performed extremely well and has shown great reliability." Hamilton also noted that stall speeds have been as projected.

"We continue to be pleased with the performance of the Kodiak in its flight tests," added Paul Schaller, President and CEO. "We have not encountered any systems or airframe issues that would have resulted in a change of flight testing procedures." The Kodiak will make its public debut at the Alaska State Aviation Trade Show in May 2005 with a formal announcement of the product and its performance capabilities.

The company continues to grow as well, according to Quest executives. Last week, with the arrival of the steel structure, assembly started on a 57,000 square foot expansion to Quest's Sandpoint facility that will house the Kodiak production line. The company is also adding additional staff. "Along with hiring technical personnel, we've also enhanced our sales team as we gear up for our formal product launch," said Schaller. Quest says it plans to start taking customer deposits at its Alaskan debut.

FMI: www.questaircraft.com