Daher Kodiak 100

Quest Aircraft Company was founded in 2001 specifically to design a clean-sheet utility turboprop for missionary aviation programs in remote regions. The early backers included Wycliffe Bible Translators, Mission Aviation Fellowship, and Africa Inland Mission. The design brief was specific: a turboprop that could replace aging Cessna 206s and 207s in bush operations, capable of carrying 10 passengers or substantial cargo, certifiable in the US and internationally, and operable from strips that the existing turboprops couldn't access.

First flight was 2004. FAA certification arrived in 2007. The Kodiak 100 entered service with a PT6A-34 engine (the workhorse 750 shp PT6 variant used in floatplanes and ag aircraft for decades), fixed tricycle landing gear with optional floats, and an interior configurable for 10 passengers, freight, or stretcher operations. The non-pressurized cabin is taller than a Caravan's, with a 53-by-50-inch cargo door for loading freight, snowmobiles, or medical equipment.

Quest sold to Setouchi Holdings of Japan in 2014 and was then acquired by Daher in 2019. Daher has continued Kodiak 100 production at the Sandpoint facility and introduced the Kodiak 900 in 2022 as a longer-fuselage variant with the PT6A-140A engine. The Kodiak 100 continues alongside the 900 with the original PT6A-34. About 350 Kodiaks have been delivered across both variants.

The Kodiak 100 cruises at about 175 KTAS at 12,000 feet, burning 35 to 40 gph of Jet A. It's not fast. It's also not pressurized, so the practical cruise altitude is limited by oxygen requirements (FL250 service ceiling on paper, more like 12,000 to 14,000 feet in practice). Long-range cruise drops to about 155 KTAS on 30 gph. Time-to-climb from sea level to 10,000 feet at gross weight is about 8 minutes.

Useful load is the Kodiak's defining number. The airplane has about 3,500 pounds of useful load. Full fuel (320 gallons usable, 2,144 lbs) still leaves 1,350 pounds for people and cargo. That's the airplane's design point: load up, fly to a strip nobody else can use, unload, and do it again. Range with reserves is about 1,100 nm at long-range cruise. The cargo door is large enough for a snowmobile or freight pallets, and the interior can be reconfigured between passenger seating and cargo mode in 30 to 45 minutes.

The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 is the engine on the Kodiak 100. It's a free-turbine turboprop rated at 750 shp, with one of the longest fleet histories of any PT6A variant. The PT6A-34 powers Cessna Caravans, Air Tractors, DHC-3 Otters, and a long list of bush and utility aircraft. Pratt's published TBO is 4,000 hours with a hot section inspection at 1,800 hours. The engine is conservatively rated relative to its thermodynamic capability, which contributes to its fleet reliability.

Real-world reliability is the PT6A-34's defining characteristic. The engine is one of the most reliable turbines ever certified, with the longest operating history of any PT6 variant. Many Kodiak 100s in commercial utility operations reach TBO without intermediate hot section work. Pratt's parts and shop network is the most extensive in the turbine market.

Off-program engine overhauls run $240,000 to $350,000 depending on findings. The PT6A-34 has the lowest overhaul cost in the PT6 family because it's the simplest variant and the most widely overhauled. Many Kodiak operators run off-program because the airplane's commercial utility role makes ESP enrollment less universally cost-effective than in personal-owner roles.

Plan on $550 to $800 per flight hour at 200 hours a year of utilization, all-in. The Kodiak 100's cost structure is dominated by fuel and engine maintenance, with airframe maintenance lower than on pressurized retractable turboprops because there's no pressurization and no landing gear cycle. Fuel runs $195 to $280 per hour at 37 gph and $5.50 to $7 for Jet A. Engine reserves (ESP at $130 to $220 per hour, or off-program estimates equivalent) add another $150 to $230 per hour.

Annual fixed costs (hangar, insurance, annual inspection, training) add another $80 to $130 per hour at 200 hours a year of utilization. Insurance on the Kodiak 100 is meaningfully easier than on pressurized turboprops because the airplane lacks pressurization complexity and the typical Kodiak mission has lower passenger-revenue exposure. First-time turboprop owners pay $20,000 to $40,000 a year. Established Kodiak pilots with 200-plus hours in type pay $9,000 to $16,000.

Acquisition cost in mid-2026: Series I and II Kodiaks (2007-2018) trade $1.5 to $2.2 million depending on year, hours, and equipment. Series III and IV (2018+) run $2.0 to $2.5 million. New from Daher starts above $2.7 million with shorter delivery lead times than Pilatus typically quotes. Float-equipped Kodiaks command a premium of $150,000 to $300,000 over comparable land aircraft.

Daher service network is built around the Sandpoint, Idaho factory and a growing dealer network. North American coverage is concentrated in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, where the airplane's utility mission profile is most common. East Coast service is thinner. Plan on either keeping the airplane near a service center or building a relationship with a regional turbine maintenance shop.