008 Under Power

Signs of life as the Kodiak's 750 horsepower Pratt and Whitney

PT6A-34 turboprop engine comes out of hibernation, earlier this week.

008 as it Looked on Thursday

008 Comes to Life

The reports from Quest keep coming in, with more and more of 008 going together. Last week the first switch was "thrown," meaning power was sent to the Garmin G1000 integrated flight display system. The propeller is now hung in place, but there's no rubber on those landing gear yet!

008 Is Really Taking Shape!

Recent photos just sent by friends at work on our Kodiak show that it is beginning to really take shape. Wings, landing gear, engine, and wiring harness have gone in place. The first electrical switch could be thrown this week, and first flight later this month!

Kodiak 008 Moves Down the Line

Our first Q-100 Kodiak is taking shape on the Quest assembly line, on its long journey to a village on a South Pacific island. It's about to get its wings, wiring harness and engine.

The big question: will 008 come with a Christmas bow stuck to it? We're told to expect that!

The cargo pod should arrive for assembly in a few weeks (below is a shot of a test pod being fitted to the prototype/flight test airplane).

The Porter Goes in the Box

Finally, using the cradles and fixtures supplied by Pilatus, the PC-6 Porter got snugly packed yesterday in the container for its long ride accross the Pond. Rough seas, salt air and bureaucracies are all that stand in the way of seeing it begin service.

Dedication and Disassembly of the Porter

The PC-6 Porter was dedicated by JAARS staff for service overseas. All the new systems are installed and working properly, and the export papers are in order!
The Aviation team that invested their time and effort stood in front of the airplane.




The Porter is only a day or two from being slid into a container for its trip to southeastern Asia. We're using special frames and slings from Pilatus already designed for this operation -- one that's been done many times before.