Kodiak of the Keys

Allen Wood of Islamorada, Florida, has been a pilot for nearly five decades. He currently owns a Daher (formally Quest) Kodiak 100 he flies for personal and business use predominantly within the United States, occasionally venturing to the Caribbean and Central America. We recently spoke to Wood after he arrived home from an 8,000-nautical mile trip from Florida to Alaska. He explained what initially drew him to the adventure-enabling utility turboprop.

“Between the safety features, exceptional short field capabilities and reliability of the PT6[A-34], purchasing the aircraft seemed like a great choice,” he said. “Garmin G1000 was an experience for me coming from steam gauges at first, but once it clicked, it was all good.”

Wood had his eyes on the Kodiak for several years before purchasing one from the dealer nearest him in 2018. He was totally sold after visiting the factory in Sandpoint, Idaho.

“I casually looked at Caravans, but I was really impressed with the reliability and stoutness of the Kodiak. For example, the gear is just massive and has what they call a ‘nine-inch stump capability’ – meaning it can hit a nine-inch stump without damaging the nose gear. It’s a modern-day bush plane and luxury SUV capable of performing humanitarian missions, which I’ve completed a number of after hurricanes.”

In addition to providing a platform for impactful relief trips, aircraft ownership has benefitted Wood personally and professionally.

“I have always flown as a hobby, though occasionally flew to attend meetings. I was in the lumber and building material business for 40 years, and through friendships and professional associations, I started exporting building materials to the Caribbean, primarily The Bahamas.”
Throughout his 50 years of flying, Wood owned two aircraft prior to the 2016 Kodiak. “I first owned a Cessna 182Q and flew that for 18 years. I then wanted to get my multi-engine rating and started flying a Piper Aztec. Coincidentally, I also flew the Aztec for 18 years until I sold my businesses and bought the Kodiak.”

Wood’s flying is the byproduct of an introductory flight lesson from when he was a teenager. “I got into aviation when my mother got me an introductory flight when I was probably 15. I soloed as soon as I legally could, shortly after my sixteenth birthday, and I’ve been flying ever since. I think next year will be 50 years of flying. That introductory flight sparked something for me.”

Just as a parent stoked his interest in flying, the same has occurred to both of his children. “My daughters are both interested in flying, and my oldest daughter has her private pilot license. They grew up flying to The Bahamas for weekends and vacations. I now fly with my six grandkids, and it’s a planeload with only half the family onboard.”

In addition to the sweeping views from the eight cabin windows, Wood is confident that the cabin experience in his aircraft is first class for all his passengers. “My aircraft has the ‘Summit’ interior, which is the executive interior package. The airplane has big, comfortable leather seats in a club configuration plus another two. The seats recline and the cabin is roomy. Everybody has a USB plug, cup holder and a little pocket to store stuff in on the cabin sidewall, so it’s extremely comfortable with a full plane.”

He also mentioned that he has yet to be forced to utilize the cabin’s full utility. “I’ve hauled freight and cargo in the cabin after taking all of the seats out. But I don’t think I’ve ever put luggage in the plane. The exterior cargo pod has 750 pounds of payload capability.”

Between work and leisure, the family has flown to The Bahamas hundreds of times over the years. Ever quick to talk about the islands, Wood explained a few of his favorites.

“I love the Abacos and have a lot of history there. Staniel Cay is another really good one. Those are a couple of my favorites, but there are a lot of good islands down there. It’s an easy trip, and it’s a very aviation friendly country,” he said. He then provided some tips for those who have never flown to any of the country’s islands.

“Like any flight, just be prepared. I would recommend to anybody flying there to visit AOPA’s website. They have good tips about the basics, like needing a life raft and the required paperwork. YouTube is also a good source for first time trips to The Bahamas. Aside from that, I would say being courteous to immigration officials is really important. Sometimes people get frustrated if they forgot something or did something incorrectly. The officials are usually agreeable and are interested in having tourism. So, if you are courteous to them, they will be courteous to you.”
Wood’s travels have taken him to other international areas as well. “I’ve been to Mexico a couple of times this year. I also have a trip to Costa Rica, which I have previously flown to in my Aztec but not the Kodiak. The Dominican Republic is another frequent destination, which is pretty much the non-stop radius of the plane.”

Regardless of where Wood’s adventures take him, his point of origin is a residential airpark in the town he was born and raised. “I live in the Florida Keys on a private airfield called TavernAero (FA81) in Islamorada. It’s a 2,000-foot grass field with an elevation of about 10 feet above sea level. My house is on the water and the runway on an inlet called Tavernier Creek.”

With both a dock and runway just steps away, enjoying two of his passions could not be more convenient. “It’s a tremendous spot to live. There’s probably a couple dozen houses or so, everybody is a pilot, and all the kids grow up flying.”

Although the grass strip is essentially at sea level, its shorter length is a potential concern for some aircraft – but not the Kodiak.

“The runway here is no problem at all. I take off in a thousand feet and land in less than that. I’ve had four big guys in the plane, a refrigerator, groceries, air tanks and a boat motor, and it still can take off in much less than the runway. With the 750-horsepower PT6, you have plenty of power and can load the thing up. It’s a beast.”

Equally at home on the water as he is in the sky, it’s no surprise that Wood is rated to fly seaplanes. And while the Kodiak is routinely outfitted with Aerocet composite floats, he doesn’t anticipate ever operating his aircraft from the water.

“Every Kodiak that is built is aerodynamically ready to go on floats. There are no structural changes that have to be made, whereas a lot of planes have to undergo quite a bit of work to put them on floats,” Wood explained.

But he has reservations about configuring his aircraft for water operations as the corrosive environment he lives in demands extra attention from the high-wing turboprop. But being that he lives alongside his Kodiak, preventative tasks are relatively hassle-free to perform
as needed.

“I have a compressor wash cart and do a rinse after any extended flight over the water. Then I have a scheduled wash with the soap that I also do right here at my house. With the
salt air down here in The Keys, I like to wash the plane often. I like to wash it once a week, but really it probably gets washed two or three times a month just to keep the salt off.”

When asked about hopeful desti nations for future Kodiak adventures, he elaborated on a few. “I’m very interested in making a trip to South America. I don’t know how far, but I want to fly there and have begun studying that. Also, after recent travel to Italy, I’ve become pretty intrigued with the possibility of a Europe trip.”