Daher Aircraft delivers the first Kodiak 900 for Europe, to be used by a Swiss couple in outdoor adventures
Daher Aircraft has announced the delivery of a Kodiak 900 to Swiss owners Roland and Claudia Primus, who plan to use the aircraft for adventure flying to remote airfields. Their activities include mountain biking in the Alps and Pyrenees, surfing and wing foiling on the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, trekking across northern Europe, and ski touring along Greenland’s west coast.
The delivery marks the introduction of the larger, faster Kodiak 900 to the European market. The milestone was highlighted during Daher Aircraft’s press conference at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, where the company is displaying its turboprop-powered aircraft, including the Kodiak 900 and TBM 980.
Swiss Owners Transition from Cessna 182 to Kodiak 900
The Primuses are upgrading from a Cessna 182 to the Kodiak 900, which will be based at Bad Ragaz Aerodrome (LSZE) in Switzerland. The airfield has a 495-metre (1,624-foot) runway.
The aircraft was delivered earlier this month at Daher Aircraft’s facility in Sandpoint, Idaho, where the Kodiak 900 and Kodiak 100 Series III are manufactured and assembled.
“After reviewing the various product solutions, the Kodiak 900 was a perfect fit for us,” Roland Primus said. “We wanted to transition to a turbine-powered aircraft, and the Kodiak 900 ‘ticked the boxes’ on speed and performance, along with the ability to operate on grass and gravel strips. Its short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities—as well as its stable handling qualities at near-stall speeds—also are important for our mission profile.”
The aircraft’s high-wing configuration provides clear external visibility, which is valuable for the couple’s adventure flights. Primus described their flying as “the opposite of traveling from Point A to Point B.”
The Kodiak 900’s extended cabin also offers space for mountain bikes, windsurfing equipment and other gear needed for expeditions across northern Europe.
Nicolas Chabbert, CEO of Daher Aircraft, said the Kodiak offers owners an opportunity to combine aviation with an adventurous lifestyle.
“The Primuses are an excellent example of how the Kodiak 900 combines the STOL capability and excellent handling characteristics of the Kodiak 100 with a larger cabin and higher cruise speed—bringing them closer, and faster, to the places and experiences they seek,” Chabbert said.
Kodiak 900 Specifications and Performance
The 10-seat Kodiak 900 features a 3.9-foot (1.19-metre) fuselage extension compared with the Kodiak 100. This increases cabin volume by more than 20%, bringing the total to 309 cubic feet.
The aircraft is powered by a 900-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140A turboprop engine and has a maximum cruise speed of 210 knots true airspeed (KTAS).
Aerodynamic improvements, including landing-gear wheel fairings and optimised airflow through ducts, inlets and air intakes, help reduce drag and increase speed compared with the Kodiak 100.
A constant-speed, full-feathering, hydraulically actuated five-blade composite propeller from Hartzell Propeller contributes to the aircraft’s reported noise level of 79.5 decibels (dB). Its design and reduced operating speed of 1,900 revolutions per minute (rpm) support operations in areas with strict noise restrictions.
The Kodiak 900 also offers improved fuel efficiency, with a reported nine-percent reduction in specific fuel consumption. According to Daher Aircraft, the efficiency gains can reach double-digit percentages compared with competing aircraft, helping reduce cost per seat-mile and direct operating costs.
Kodiak 900 Production and Global Operations
Introduced in 2022, the Kodiak 900 expanded the Kodiak product line by combining higher cruise speed and greater cabin volume with the rugged operating capabilities of the original aircraft.
The newly delivered aircraft is the 35th Kodiak 900 produced. Operators include private owners, businesses and organisations using the aircraft for public safety, law enforcement, wildfire suppression and other specialised missions.
The Kodiak 900 joins the Kodiak 100, which first flew in 2004 and has since established a global presence in business, utility and multi-mission aviation. Both models remain in production at Daher Aircraft’s Sandpoint facility.
Daher Aircraft acquired the Kodiak product line in 2019. Since then, the company has introduced the Kodiak 900 and the upgraded Kodiak 100 Series III while investing in manufacturing and assembly capabilities at Sandpoint.
The company has delivered more than 400 Kodiak 100 and Kodiak 900 aircraft combined.
The Kodiak product line is also supported through Daher Aircraft’s worldwide customer care network, alongside the company’s six-seat, pressurised TBM aircraft series, which has recorded more than 1,300 deliveries.
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