Quest Aircraft, manufacturer of the single-engine turboprop utility Kodiak, is adding a paint shop and additional space to its manufacturing facility in Sand Point, Idaho. 

Last year Quest began the expansion by launching construction of 27,000 sq ft attached to the back of the production facility, to accommodate subassembly work and inventory. The addition officially opened in June, and it will allow expanding the single production line into two lines. Quest has also acquired another 32,000 sq ft of hangar and office space, which will be used for research and development, maintenance operations, training and associated Quest businesses, according to president and CEO Sam Hill.

Construction of the paint shop begins shortly and it should be done in the first quarter of 2017. Designed as a “drive-through” building, the facility will be designed with separate areas for paint removal and preparation, painting and pre-delivery processes. “We’re now using two or three outside vendors,” Hill said. “If we increase production, we need to control the schedule better.”

Quest will deliver 39 Kodiaks this year, he said, which is up from 32 in 2015. Since certification in 2007, total deliveries as of late July are 182, and that number should reach 204 by the end of the year. Some potential contracts for next year could drive deliveries to 52, and the company needs to prepare for the added growth. “We’re seeing a lot more activity in the U.S.,” he said, but there are also new buyers in southeast Asia and Japan. “Our China dealer is really picking up the pace.”

Quest has constantly added upgrades to the Kodiak line, many of which are available as retrofits to earlier models. “There have been more than 100 improvements since certification,” Hill said. This includes new interiors, improved heating, TKS ant-icing, Garmin’s GFC700 autopilot with electronic stability and protection features and other upgrades. “We have a lot of new upgrades coming,” he added. “It’s continuous improvement.”

The Kodiak is certified in 32 countries, and more are being added. The aluminum airframe delivers STOL performance, with takeoff in less than 1,000 feet at the 7,255-pound maximum takeoff weight. The Kodiak is powered by a 750-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turbine engine and features Garmin’s G1000 flight deck. 

While Kodiak owners “are very happy with it,” Hill said, they also wonder about Quest’s next product. “We’re getting feedback,” he said, “but we’re not sure we’ll do anything soon.” That said, Quest did build a new research and development facility staffed by design engineers whose job is to examine potential new products.