Page 17 - Dec22T

sister engines but create tremendous horsepower. In aviation-speak, they have a high power-to-weight ratio, especially at the lower altitudes. Seeing as the Kodiak isn’t designed for high altitude, the PT6-140A is a perfect mate.
Effectively, everything firewall-for- ward is brand new on the Kodiak 900. The engine is completely different, and the propeller is upgraded to the five-blade composite Hartzell. Even just sitting statically on the airplane, the huge blades are a work of art, reeking of fine design. But they are more than bold and beautiful, they create a ton of efficient thrust quietly.
Quiet. That’s a word you don’t hear much in turboprop aviation – but it is true with the Kodiak 900. Daher wanted a quiet airplane to meet all the rigorous noise standards required in Europe. They also desired a low noise signature because one mar- ket the Kodiak 900 is designed for is special missions (more on this later in the article). The net effect is the Kodiak is quieter on the outside of the airplane but also significantly quieter on the inside.
With the horsepower problem solved, the Daher R&D team tack- led the abundance of parasite drag found on a Kodiak 100. To reduce drag, Daher used smaller tires and added wheel fairings. And these are not flimsy “wheel pants” you find on some light, piston singles. The wheel fairings on a Kodiak 900 can be stood or sat upon and are incredibly strong and sturdy. Daher added fairings to just about every nook and cranny pos- sible. In short, they reduced interfer- ence drag – the type of parasite drag related to the sum of drag from competing airf lows. For example, where the wing mates with the fu- selage or the horizontal stabilizer mates with the vertical stabilizer, there will be competing airf lows and an increase in interference drag. Re- ducing interference drag leads to a faster airplane.
The Cabin Experience
Many refinements of the TBM were transferred to the Kodiak 900.
I’m 6-foot 4-inches and 220 pounds of pure muscle (we can all dream, right?), and I can tell you that few airplanes are made for us tall people. But, the Kodiak has a “big feel” and plenty of room in the right places. The pilot seats adjust in every con- ceivable way, and the tallest of pilots will still be moving the seat forward when landing or taking off. I never once hit my head in turbulence, a rarity in most airplanes.
Kodiak 100 but has been aerodynami- cally improved and offers an opening in the back that allows for long items (rifles, skis, tent poles, ladders, etc.) to be easily loaded.
Flying the Kodiak 900
The Kodiak 900 is an honest and true airplane with no gimmicks or gaps in performance. We were lightly loaded on the day I got to fly, but the
During a portion of the demonstration f light, I hopped in the back of the cabin, giving up the front seat to my sidekick for the day, teenage aviatrix Bai- ley Ward from the “In the Hangar” YouTube Series. I learned while riding in the back of the Kodiak 900 that it’s like riding in the back of a TBM – meaning it is fabulous. The seats are made for comfort and style, the amenities are aplenty (cupholders, USB ports, headset plug- ins), and there’s plenty of room. Speaking of room, the 900 is more than 4.5 feet longer than the 100, adding more space for more cargo. The noise levels are low enough to f ly without headsets, but headsets make it incred- ibly comfortable.
The propeller is upgraded
to the efficient and quiet five- blade composite Hartzell.
Comparing the Kodiak
100 to the 900 reveals all
sorts of neat upgrades.
The seats in the back can face ei- ther forward or backward. The main landing gear is moved aft, so there is no need for a tail stand. The main landing gear is attached lower on the fuselage making ground clearance even greater. Single-point refueling capability is easily accessible under- side of the left wing. Dual-zone air conditioners work incredibly well, and the vastly improved cargo pod is standard.
By the way, that cargo pod on the belly of the airplane is impressive. It has the same volume capacity as the
Kodiak climbed extremely well. I usually talk about the rate of climb in an airplane when considering per- formance, but a better judge of per- formance (arguably) for an airplane is the angle of climb. Using the im- mensely useful Garmin Flight Path Marker on the G1000 NXi, I observed a climb angle of 9 degrees on takeoff with light winds, and I wasn’t even trying to perform a Vx climb. Con- trasting that to other single-engine turbine airplanes, most climb at 7 degrees at most. Departing from the 5,400-foot Runway 07 at KLFK, we
December 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 15