Daher’s Kodiak 100 utility airplane was designed for ruggedness and backcountry flying. To demonstrate its capabilities, the airframer partnered with the Backcountry Aviation Defibrillator Project to deliver lifesaving devices to four remote airstrips in Idaho, where the aircraft is built.

The goal of the project is to position automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in high-traffic, remote airfields. Equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities, those AEDs will be able to broadcast their availability through flight planning applications.

Daher provided a pair of Kodiaks along with pilots, fuel, and logistical assistance to deliver four Zoll 3 defibrillators—one of which it sponsored­—to Cavanaugh Bay Airport (K66S) in northern Idaho, to Big Creek (KU60) and Johnson Creek (K3U2) airports in the central part of the state, and to Smiley Creek Airport (KU87) in south-central Idaho. These missions showcased the single-engine turboprop’s short-takeoff-and-landing capabilities at the four unpaved fields.

“At Daher, our philosophy is: 'We support those who care for aviation,' and the Backcountry Aviation Defibrillator Project flights are a continuation of this commitment,” said Nicolas Chabbert, senior v-p of Daher’s aircraft division and CEO of Kodiak Aircraft.

Chabbert, who piloted one of the AED delivery flights, noted that the company has also recently used one of its Kodiaks to transport U.S. Forest Service personnel and equipment to two isolated grass strips in southeastern Idaho’s mountains.