Quest Aircraft
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| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Sandpoint, Idaho, United States |
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Key people
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CEO: Robert H. Wells (since January 2017) |
| Products | General aviation aircraft |
| Owner | Setouchi Holdings (2015) |
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Number of employees
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184 (2015) |
| Parent | Tsuneishi Group |
| Website | www.questaircraft.com |
Quest Aircraft Company is a Japanese-owned aircraft manufacturer located in Sandpoint, Idaho, United States. Quest was started in 2001 to design and provide aircraft suitable for domestic and international humanitarian applications. Its sole product is the Kodiak single engine STOL aircraft.
In February 2015 the company was sold to Setouchi Holdings of Japan. Setouchi had been acting as a dealer for Quest and as a result of that relationship decided to purchase the company.
The company was founded primarily for the purpose of creating an aircraft specifically suited for the humanitarian and mission field. Quest Aircraft also works with multiple not-for-profit groups that partner with the company as Quest Mission Team members. The company follows a unique business model: the profits earned by selling the Kodiak aircraft commercially are used to subsidize the manufacturing of approximately every tenth aircraft, which is then delivered to a participating not-for-profit organization.
The earliest origins of Quest Aircraft can be traced back to 1998, when Idaho Air Group was founded by Tom Hamilton and David Voetmann. Tom and David saw a need to develop an aircraft uniquely suited to the rugged flying environment found in humanitarian aviation. After raising the necessary funding, the Quest Aircraft Company launched in 2001 with a staff of 14. After a 27,000 square foot facility was dedicated in 2002, work started on the first prototype aircraft, which led to the production of the Quest Kodiak turboprop.
Paul Schaller became CEO of the company in 2004, and by 2009 the employment force was 340 people.
Following a soft economy, in 2010 the workforce was reduced to 155 employees, but 2011 saw a fresh infusion of capital and a change in executive leadership as Schaller migrated to a consulting role in the company.
Sam Hill was the CEO from 2012 to January 2017, after previous experience at Embraer Aircraft Corporation and Honda Aircraft Company.
In February 2015 the company was purchased by Setouchi Holdings, part of the Tsuneishi Group of Japan.
In June 2016, the company's headquarters was expanded by 27,000 sq ft (2,500 m2) to bring the main facility to 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m2). A 5,000 sq ft (460 m2) research and development hangar was also completed.
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