Monday, March 16, 2009…We’ve been producing aircraft for long enough that we’re starting to feel like we’ve done it all before. Incorporating new jigs into the production line is getting to be old hat and we’ve got the sense that whatever we haven’t done, we’re well prepared for.
     Then there are days like today. The delivery of s/n 0011 was transformational. In a very real sense it was a new beginning.
     In the eighth hour, as snow fell outside, some 250 staff gathered in the front end of the hanger to witness the fulfillment of our original promise. Today we delivered our first KODIAK under the Quest Mission Team (QMT) program. And it is fitting that this first QMT plane went to Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), since they have been a cornerstone to our work here -- in finance, in faith, and all the way back to our conception. So, it was our deep honor to turn over their aircraft at cost (a cost paid by donations coming almost entirely from one church).
     To say MAF has been our father and our brother in this adventure is no exaggeration. Every step we’ve taken has been made possible because people, like those at MAF, gave us the chance to do it.
     While our work is counted in products…theirs is counted in people saved with medical supplies, emergency aid, and loving care. Still, it’s the same mission. Now, with all the precious cargo MAF carries, it is KODIAK’s job to deliver the good news wherever it’s needed. And that is our blessing.

(With one last check KODIAK s/n0011 spools up and rolls away on fresh snow.)

     We’ve come to see that all KODIAKs are the same in that they are all special. And even as this aircraft leaves to begin its good work, there is another QMT aircraft already making its way down the floor. This is an important reminder that, as we build the spirit of our mission into in each aircraft, the presence of a QMT build never leaves the building. It’s a part of every aircraft that goes out through these doors, whatever its end use. The only real difference in QMT aircraft is that with each one the line between our mission and that of our customers completely disappears.

(KODIAK arrives at MAF’s headquarters in Nampa, Idaho.)
        So, today it wasn’t the airplane that was special (they all are) it was the fact that for the first time, the passing of the key meant that both our organizations as well as the product delivered and our people are joined together to fulfill the exact mission for which they all strive. The plate on the side says S/N 0011, but for all of us, this one is a first.
        Building airplanes is complicated. Flying in the jungle is complicated. Saving lives is complicated. Handing over keys is simple. But knowing all the work that lies behind and all the work that lies ahead, this simple moment was deeply beautiful.
        Welcome to our rebirth.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009...Video cameras on the production floor? That’s not something we see everyday. After all this is a manufacturing facility not a Hollywood back lot. But it does give us pause for some reflection.
     Our transformation from an idea to an aircraft production facility has brought about radical change for the crew here at Quest, for our neck of the woods here in Sandpoint, and for an increasing number of people around the world. We've found that keeping a watchful eye on day to day progress and working carefully and methodically has a few ironic limitations. It actually makes some things a lot harder to see. Thank goodness for the media…and their cameras.
     For us, tending to business has been a little like watching the kids grow up. You were there when they were born, you've been with them every day, and then one day you get a photo from college and it hits you. Suddenly you blink and realize all the joy and hard work that's passed and there they are…all grown up.
     Our journey has been like that. Aside from the memories, it's the images that tell the story. And now, thanks to a video tour by our local radio station and a marvelous piece by FLYING MAGAZINE...we've gotten a chance to see this facility from a whole new perspective.
     Please join us for a couple glimpses behind the curtain. We hope you enjoy the view as much as we have.

Take a Photo Tour of the Facility with FLYING MAGAZINE

Take a Video Tour of the Facility with KPND Radio (video below)

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KODIAK s/n 008 goes to JAARS
Thursday, January 8, 2009...Welcome to a New Year, and a new beginning as we deliver our latest KODIAK to the Jungle Aviation and Radio Service (JAARS).
     "Today was very, very, very rewarding."
     We've put this plane on floats. We've dumped parachutists out of it. We've worked our way through Certification with the FAA and continue the journey ramping up to full production. It all seems very complicated, and it has been, but those six words spoken by Quest co-visionary Dave Voetmann may sum it all up. It was very rewarding indeed when on this winter’s afternoon the wild wheel we’ve been on began the graceful turn full circle.
     The handoff of s/n 008 took place at 2 pm, between shifts, so that our entire crew could be there to see it. And it just seemed fitting that Dave Voetmann and Tom Hamilton, the two visionaries whose hearts sparked this dream, would be standing there, in front of our newest KODIAK, to hand keys over to David Reeves, president of JAARS. (The photo above shows Voetmann on the left, Hamilton in the middle, and Reeves on the right.) This moment meant a lot to all of them, and you could see it in their faces.
    Reeves will put 008 to work providing both field and domestic aviation service as part of JAARS’ worldwide effort to offer a translation of the Bible in every language. This plane will provide access to Papua New Guinea’s rugged mountains and remote coastal areas, where it is virtually impossible to reach rural communities and local language projects without air support. As Voetmann put it, "JAARS needs the equivalent of a Mack truck and a Jeep in the form of an airplane to continue their work. There's just no other good economical aircraft that will do this job."
     Reeves choked up as he thanked the Quest team for all the work it's done and highlighted the tremendous need for KODIAK in jungle situations. The handoff made manifest the very real investments of time, labor and money contributed by men and women who believe in a simple dream of leveraging the good of some for the benefit of many.
     KODIAK 008 is now off on a rigorous eight month schedule. During this time it will fly an introductory tour of America and provide stateside orientation for JAARS pilots. This July/August you can see it featured on prominent display at AirVentureOshkosh 2009 before heading off for its real mission in Papua New Guinea.
     Very few regions of the world have a greater need for safe, reliable, air transportation than the vast island nation of Papua New Guinea, north of Australia. Once there the KODIAK -- unaffected by a drought in AvGas, a lack of prepared runways, and the many other challenges that hinder remote jungle operations -- will perform the mission it was built for.
     “From the very beginning, our underlying mission at Quest has been to design, certify, and manufacture a bush utility aircraft specifically suited to meet the needs of mission and humanitarian aviation organizations,” said PaulSchaller, Quest’s president and CEO.  “With its greater cargo-carrying capabilities and the ability to get in and out of unpaved, short strips, the KODIAK provides reliable access to the most remote regions of the world and the isolated peoples who live there.”
     We’re looking forward to a big year in 2009 and, my goodness, what a start.