Kodiak M.D.

Amir Yazdan in front of his Daher Kodiak 100

Photos Courtesy of Amir Yazdan

More often than not, operators of cabin-class aircraft begin their journey in a single-engine piston. The transition to the flight levels is a natural and gradual progression and is aligned with the natural desire to go faster and farther.

Amir Yazdan, M.D., a hair transplant surgeon from Southern California, decided to forgo piston flying quicker than most and moved to turbine ownership with the purchase of a Daher Kodiak 100 before finishing his private pilot training.

“The standard path is you start out in a 172, then go up to a 182, Cirrus, or something else as you build time and move up into a turboprop or jet eventually. But I wanted to get out of a piston airplane as soon as possible,” he explained.

“I think a lot of people confuse the cost of an airplane with its complexity and how hard it is to fly. A lot of people felt the same way when I bought my Kodiak, but I would argue that it’s actually easier to fly than a 182. And it’s safer; I don’t think anyone can argue the fact that having a PT6 in the front is safer than having a piston engine, and safety was my biggest criterion for wanting to get out of a piston airplane.”

Yazdan’s pursuit of aviation was long overdue, having fostered an interest in flying since childhood. But like many others, he wasn’t able to pursue this interest until he was well into his career.

A friendship with Matt Keegan (featured in Twin & Turbine’s August 2023 issue) can be partly attributed to the reason why he decided to add flight training to his busy schedule. Just like in surgery, sharing personal insights and working as a team has found a way into the Kodiak’s cockpit.

“I always wanted to fly but just didn’t have the money to do so until later in life. I was flying with Matt one day [as a passenger] and told him that I really wanted to learn how to do this. He told me that he was a CFI and would teach me how to fly. It has really helped having somebody like him in my corner,” he began.

“You are always learning, so I’ve flown with other pilots more than necessary because it never hurts to have a helping hand – especially from someone who has thousands of hours of flight time more than me. Matt introduced me to Rich Manor (@FlyingWithRich on YouTube), who has become one of my other mentors and has also really helped me to progress as a pilot.”

Yazdan similarly likes to educate others about his aviation journey and aircraft, which he discusses in great detail on his YouTube channel ‘KodiakMD.’ A frequent question he receives is why he chose the Sandpoint-built turboprop.

“The biggest criterion was that I wanted something very safe, and the Kodiak ticks that box. One of the features that drew me towards the Kodiak was its wing design. It has a split wing design, so you have full aileron control even at stall. So, if you stall the plane, it doesn’t really dip a wing, and you can at least maintain level flight,” he stated.

“That feature was a big selling point for me as a new pilot. Another was the newer certification of the Kodiak. All of the aircraft’s certifications are from 2007, whereas a lot of other airplanes [in the category] are from 30, 40, or 50 years ago, right? That was a big thing to me,” Yazdan explained before adding additional perspective about the other aircraft he had considered.

“The Kodiak has a pod [in its standard configuration], whereas the [675-horsepower] Cessna Caravan does not. The Kodiak is also much easier to reconfigure, as you are able to remove all the seats within a matter of minutes. The Kodiak’s interior is much nicer as well and has an option for the Summit Interior, which is a business jet style
interior from the factory.”

From a systems perspective, the Kodiak is designed to support the pilot – in all types of weather. There are a number of features that new and seasoned pilots alike can appreciate.

“The other thing that was important to me was being able to fly when there is icing. The airplane has a TKS system that has allowed me to fly through a lot of weather. I have quite a bit of IMC time in icing conditions in this aircraft, and it’s very safe.”
Some other notable aspects of the 2022 model include the G1000 NXi avionics suite (sporting two PFDs and one MFD), a digital standby instrument, and multiple other backup systems throughout. Another helpful inclusion is the underwing magnetic dipsticks, which allow pilots to verify fuel quantity without a ladder.

Las Vegas is a common destination for Yazdan, as this is where his company, Modena Hair Institute, has its second location. The 200-nautical mile flight saves the team time and allows them to serve their patients better.

“A big benefit of the Kodiak is its ability to carry passengers and payload well. I have an office in Vegas and fly back and forth all the time for work – once a week or so. Being able to carry my team, our surgical supplies, and anything else we need is important and the [under fuselage cargo] pod has really helped a lot.”

Most of Yazdan’s other flights are less than 500 nautical miles, a sweet spot for the single-engine turboprop. The Kodiak sees a variety of destinations, mostly in the western half of the United States, some of which are off-pavement.

“I like to fly as high as I can. When going to Vegas, I’m typically flying at 11,500 feet – nobody’s really at these altitudes. The Kodiak burns about 50 gallons an hour or so, and time en route is about an hour and ten minutes, assuming no winds. We true at about 165 knots and that’s not gunning the plane. I don’t go full ITT to the top of the yellow but rather fly the plane a bit more conservatively just to save the engine. You don’t need to run the engine as fast as you can.”

The Kodiak has enabled Yazdan to see the world from a different vantage point. He enjoys that the aircraft is capable of being a corporate shuttle on one flight and then a recreational vehicle on the next.

…We have also flown down to Baja several times and have landed on some dirt runways, which is a lot of fun.”

“I did all my instrument training in the Kodiak, as well as my commercial training and check ride. So, I’m flying it a lot, and in the first year, I flew it almost 200 hours. Outside of where I fly for work, we have taken the airport to Sedona, Park City, Tahoe, and Jackson Hole. We flew over Yellowstone, and that was pretty cool. We have also flown down to Baja several times and have landed on some dirt runways, which is a lot of fun.”

Yazdan says that, like anything else meaningful in life, flying takes considerable time and effort to be successful. He is continually improving his piloting skills and has his eyes set on his next challenge, jet ownership.

“Right now, I have at least a hundred jet hours and about 800 other turbine hours. I have my SIC in a Citation M2 and passed my check ride a few weeks ago for the Citation Mustang 510S type rating after completing my training with Rich Manor (who also helped me train for my commercial check ride),” he explained.

“I think I’m going to buy a Mustang soon. The Kodiak is really fun, and you can put a lot of people in it, but it’s slow. If you want to go to Cabo, for example, it’s five and a half hours away in the Kodiak but two and half hours in the Mustang. Outside of work, I
usually just fly myself or with my wife and kids. So, we don’t need a lot of space, and the Mustang fits that need perfectly.”