Quest Aircraft has sold its first Kodiak single-engined turboprop through a European dealership and is now working towards EASA certification of the 10-seat utility aircraft, which it hopes to secure by early next year.
The Pratt & Whitney PT6A-64-powered Kodiak was sold by its recently-appointed sales agent, Rheinland Air Service. The German business aviation services company is one of nearly 20 dealerships that Quest has appointed as part of its drive to sell and market the Kodiak through regional, independent companies rather than through US sales agents based out of its Sandpoint, Idaho headquarters.
Five Kodiaks have been sold into Europe through US sales agents, with the first model handed over to a European customer in 2010. This latest aircraft will be delivered to its undisclosed owner later this year and will be used for parachute jumping and skydiving.
Quest has shipped around 140 Kodiaks worldwide since the first aircraft entered service in 2007 and Europe is expected to account for a sizeable share of its future annual order tally. “The expectation is that it will become one of our largest regions,” the company says.
The €1.9 million ($2 million) Kodiak is already certificated in 18 countries, and several other validations are imminent.
Source: Flight International
