THREE HILLS - While Prairie School of Mission Aviation is getting set for another year of pilot training, the school is also excited to welcome representatives from the Spokane Turbine Centre to our community and assist them in promoting the Quest Kodiak airplane.
On Thursday, September 2 pilots from the missions-focused centre will be at the Three Hills airport to display the sophisticated piece of equipment.
Several key features of the Quest Kodiak make it ideally suited for the rigors of missionary aviation. First, the Kodiak's short airfield take off and landing abilities more than double the capability of the standard missionary workhorses, the Cessna 185 and the Cessna 206. The turbine engine also provides reliability and increased airspeed.
Another major advantage of the Quest Kodiak is that it uses affordable jet fuel that is readily available around the world. Other aircraft operating on the mission field use aviation gasoline (avgas), which is difficult to obtain and more expensive. Often times, avgas must be transported great distances in drums, causing the cost to be three times more than jet fuel.
Jeff Plett, the Director of Prairie School of Mission Aviation and Mission Aviation Fellowship Canada Director of Operations & Recruiter is excited about showcasing this plane to students and staff at the school, but more importantly what it could mean for training and missions. "The purpose of mission aviation has not changed since it began in the 1930s, but the tools we use must adapt to meet 21st century needs".
Jeff also shares that "We [at Prairie] have been blessed over the past year and a half with donations allowing us to acquire a gently used Cessna 172 with Garmin 1000 navigation, a Redbird full-motion flight simulator and Piper Seneca twin engine airplane. The advanced equipment allows us to train competent aviators for missions today. The advances in technology on the field can mean the difference between life and death, hope and despair".
More than 50 Kodiaks are on order for missions organizations. Many are depending on this specially-designed aircraft to meet their needs for years to come.
For more information, please contact Prairie School of Mission Aviation at 403-443-2349 or aviation@prairie.edu.
