Swiss owners Roland and Claudia Primus have taken delivery of a Daher Kodiak 900. The couple will use the aircraft for adventure flying to small airfields, including mountain biking in the Alps and Pyrenees, surfing and wing foiling on the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea, trekking and exploring northern Europe, as well as ski touring along Greenland's west coast.

This 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 NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, where the company is exhibiting its turboprop-powered product line with a Kodiak 900 and TBM 980 on display.

The Primuses are transitioning from a Cessna 182 to the Kodiak 900, which they will base at Bad Ragaz Aerodrome in Switzerland with a 1,624 ft runway. Their new aircraft was delivered earlier this month at Daher Aircraft's Sandpoint, Idaho facility, 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 explains. “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 STOL capabilities, as well as its stable handling qualities at near-stall speeds, also are important for our mission profile.”

Roland Primus is the founder of what he describes as the world's oldest snowboard school, operating from Lenzerheide in the canton of Graubünden, and a founding member of the Swiss snowboard professional association SSBS, where he holds the role of technical director.

The Kodiak 900's high-wing configuration provides excellent external visibility, which the couple values for adventure flights. As Primus put it, their flying is ‘the opposite of travelling from point A to point B’. Additionally, the Kodiak 900's extended cabin provides room for mountain bikes, windsurfing equipment and the gear needed for expeditions in northern Europe.

Nicolas Chabbert, the CEO of Daher Aircraft, states: “The Kodiak opens a world of possibilities for owners who want their airplane to be part of 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.”

The 10-seat Kodiak 900 incorporates a 3.9 ft fuselage extension from the Kodiak 100, increasing cabin volume by more than 20 per cent to 309 cubic ft.

Powered by a 900-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140A turboprop engine, the Kodiak 900 achieves a maximum cruise speed of 210 kts. Aerodynamic refinements, including landing-gear wheel fairings and optimised airflow through the ducts, inlets and air intakes, help reduce drag and deliver the increased speed compared with the Kodiak 100.

A constant-speed, full-feathering, hydraulically actuated five-blade composite propeller from Hartzell Propeller contributes to the Kodiak 900's low noise level of 79.5 dB. The propeller's design and reduced operating speed of 1,900 rpm enable the airplane to operate in areas with stringent noise restrictions.

The Kodiak 900 also offers improved operating economics, with a nine-percent reduction in specific fuel consumption. The efficiency gains can reach double-digit percentages compared with competing aircraft, reducing both cost per seat-mile and direct operating costs.

Introduced in 2022, the Kodiak 900 has expanded the Kodiak product line with a combination of higher cruise speed, greater cabin volume and the rugged operating capabilities that define the airplane. The newly delivered aircraft is the 35th Kodiak 900 produced. Operators range from private and business owners to multi-mission users deploying the airplane for public safety, law enforcement, wildfire suppression and other specialised duties.

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 enhanced Kodiak 100 Series III, while investing in production and assembly capabilities at Sandpoint. A combined total of more than 400 Kodiak 100s/Kodiak 900s have been delivered to date.

The Kodiak product line has been integrated into Daher Aircraft's worldwide customer care support network, alongside the company's six-seat, pressurised TBM series, which has recorded more than 1,300 deliveries.

The Kodiak 900 received its EASA type certificate in April 2023, at AERO Friedrichshafen, more than three years after its maiden flight on 28 February 2020.