QUEST Team Feature

In their own words

KENNY STIDHAM: Engineering Test Pilot

I don’t have a big desk, but they all say I’m the guy with the best office. They’re right. Just about every day I climb into the KODIAK to bridge the gap between engineering and actual field performance.
     My job takes patience. Imagine recording 307 cargo pod spins and you get the picture. It gives the phrase “unwind after work” new meaning. The engineering side takes technical understanding and precision as we run through each testing regime. Of course testing the KODIAK also requires some trailblazing. This airplane just does things other airplanes can't. KODIAK’s performance and structure...everything about the platform lets pilots ask more of it. As our customers build stick time some of them get creative. One group added mud flaps to the wheels. Together we’re getting a deeper understanding of what this tool can do…and where it can do it. Serving this role with our owners is a privilege I take very seriously. Most won’t push the airplane anywhere near as far as it’s capable of…but we need to know how far the trail goes. For me, that’s as good as it gets.
     This kind of work builds a camaraderie that makes working at Quest really personal. I started when there were about 30 of us…now 10 times that many people walk through these doors every day. We’re becoming a pretty big family and with each KODIAK that rolls out the door this family grows.