Quest got the three big doors right on their first try. What can you fit in it? The question really is, what can’t you?Quest set out to build things light but rugged, a job they seemed to have done surprisingly well for a start up airplane maker.It doesn’t look like the panel of a bush plane. The Quest Kodiak features a three-screen Garmin G1000 avionics suite, full autoflight capability, and digital touchscreen environmental controls. Synthetic vision is now standard as well.Huge electrically powered Fowler flaps are extremely effective.The pilots’ steps (and rudder pedals) are big bear paws.The exhaust stacks port the rear, to prevent grass fires.Inside, the Timberline interior is comfortable yet practical.The Quest logo (we wondered too) is of an airplane circling to land on a mountainside.Quest KodiakThe Quest Kodiak flown for this flight report was equipped with a three-screen Garmin G1000 avionics system with two PFDs (synthetic vision is now standard) and a center mounted MFD, dual AHRS and air data computer. Features include GPS moving map, navcom, full electronic engine instrumentation with checklists, Garmin approach charts and airport diagrams, TIS traffic alerting, TAWS, and Mode-S transponder. The autopilot is the rate-based S-Tec 55X. Options included were the mid-level Timberline interior, 10-place oxygen, large main and nose tires, and XM satellite weather and audio, optional since XM is available only in North America. Figures are from the manufacturer and are for standard conditions unless noted.
