Daher Delivers First Kodiak 100 With Composite 5-Blade Prop Daher has delivered a turboprop-powered Kodiak 100 to the North Carolina Forest Service’s Aviation Division, which becomes a new customer as well as the initial operator of this multi-mission aircraft equipped with a composite five-blade propeller. The North Carolina Forest Service will utilize its Kodiak 100 as a “load aircraft,” which carries equipment and supplies to operational locations in support of aerial tankers in the wildfire suppression role.
"As North Carolina’s motto is: ‘First in Flight,’ it’s extremely appropriate that the state’s Forest Service is the initial operator of this latest upgrade for the Kodiak 100," stated Nicolas Chabbert, the Senior Vice President of Daher’s Aircraft Division. Key features of Hartzell’s composite propeller blades include a durable nickel-cobalt leading edge, a nickel erosion screen for FOD (foreign object damage) protection, urethane paint for improved erosion protection and the use of aerospace-grade carbon fiber.
Tailored specifically for use on the Kodiak 100, the new five-blade propeller incorporates Hartzell’s lightweight Raptor propeller hub technology. The entire unit weighs 13 lbs. less than the Kodiak 100’s current four-blade metal propeller, and reduces the aircraft’s takeoff roll by six percent at maximum gross weight. The propeller is durable by design, with a TBO (time between overhaul) of 4,000 hours/six years, and an industry-leading warranty of six years or up to 4,000 hours. New-production Kodiak 100 Series III aircraft are now available with the five-blade composite propeller as an option. The retrofit for all in-service Kodiak 100s is offered via the Hartzell Top Prop program. Daher says that the new prop is also a bit quieter than the conventional aluminum prop...about 6.6 dB when turning at 2,000 rpm. That rate is approximately 200 rpm slower than the regular prop which makes significantly less vibration and therefore leads to a quieter cabin. For more information: Kodiak Aircraft Daher Aerospace 1200 Turbine Drive Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 www.kodiak.aero ***
