Kodiak 100 Aircraft Safeguarding Lives in Idaho’s Backcountry

Backcountry airfields are valuable resources, facilitating a multitude of endeavors ranging from outdoor adventures to conservationism, to emergency medical transport. Daher—the French industrial conglomerate and parent company of general aviation aircraft marques TBM, Kodiak, and SOCATA—has demonstrated its support of such remote sites by facilitating the delivery of critical care defibrillators across the state of Idaho using the company’s Kodiak 100 aircraft.

In coordination with the Backcountry Aviation Defibrillator Project, Daher provided two Kodiak 100s—along with pilots, fuel, and logistics assistance—to distribute Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across four airstrips, with one of the AED units sponsored directly by Daher.

Using the Kodiak 100’s exceptional Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capabilities, the flights were performed to Cavanaugh Bay (66S) in northern Idaho-in the vicinity of Daher’s Sandpoint Kodiak production facility—to Big Creek (U60) and Johnson Creek (3U2) in the state’s central portion, and to Smiley Creek (U87) in south-central Idaho.

Daher Aircraft Division senior vice-president and CEO Nicolas Chabbert, who piloted one of the defibrillator delivery missions, stated: “At Daher, our philosophy is we support those who care for aviation; the Backcountry Aviation Defibrillator Project flights are a continuation of this commitment.”

Chabbert set forth the Defibrillator Project flights constituted a perfect complement to Daher’s ongoing support of the Recreational Aviation Foundation, on behalf of which Daher utilized a Kodiak 100 to airlift U.S. Forest Service personnel and equipment into two isolated grass strips in the mountains of southeastern Idaho.

Daher builds the Kodiak 100 and the new, larger Kodiak 900 in Sandpoint. Both aircraft models are renowned for their multi-role capabilities, STOL performance, large cabins, and significant payload capacities.

To the subject of Daher’s support of his initiative, Backcountry Aviation Defibrillator Project organizer Sam Perez asserted: “The Idaho Aviation Association is exceptionally grateful for Daher's generosity and support of our mission to install these lifesaving defibrillators in Idaho's remote backcountry airstrips. We could not have done so without the help of Daher and our many donors who helped pay for defibrillator units. Now, aviators and general aviation enthusiasts who use these remote airstrips will have a fighting chance should a cardiovascular event occur.” 

According to technical advisor Sam Sandifer, the project’s goal is to position ZOLL 3 AED units at high-traffic remote airstrips. ZOLL 3 AEDs communicate via Wi-Fi, displaying their operational status to monitors and medical professionals. The defibrillators broadcast their availability and status using flight-planning applications. The AEDs utilized in the Backcountry Aviation Defibrillator Project were acquired through donations to The Gem State Aviation Fund, which promotes aviation-related charitable and educational activities—primarily within the state of Idaho.

In addition to the Daher-sponsored defibrillator installed at Cavanaugh Bay during the Kodiak 100 deployment flights, the delivered AEDs were donated by: Lynn and Shirley McCullough (owners of a Daher TBM 910) at Big Creek; Dr. Jon Berman (at Smiley Creek); and Rick Bosshardt (for Johnson Creek).

Daher’s Kodiak-100 is a robust and reliable multi-mission workhorse. The aircraft is operated worldwide by civil and government agencies tasked with applications the likes of wildfire suppression, monitoring national resources, public safety, humanitarian-services, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations. Of the 320-plus Kodiak-100s delivered to date, upwards of ninety are in-service with multi-mission operators.

Daher’s director of Kodiak flight operations and special missions Paul Carelli remarked: “With its enormous useful load, off-airport capabilities, and simple and rugged design, the Kodiak-100 is ideal for such a broad range of applications.”

FMI: https://kodiak.aero/kodiak