Extraordinary relief support by Daher Aircraft and the owners/operators of its TBM and Kodiak airplanes in the wake of Hurricane Helene were detailed today at the 2024 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Daher Aircraft mobilized its resources for the urgent on-site repair of a damaged Kodiak 100 from North Carolina Forest Service’s Aviation Division at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina, and also used its presence in the state to deliver relief supplies; while several Kodiak and TBM owners/operators deployed their own airplanes for the airlift of food, water and other material – along with the transportation of emergency personnel and animals.
“Daher aviators once again demonstrated their commitment to support those in need during crisis situations, and we also confirmed our company’s own response capability when customers call on us in urgent repair situations,” explained Nicolas Chabbert, the CEO of Daher Aircraft, during a press conference today at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).
Damage suffered by the North Carolina Forest Service’s Kodiak 100 in a jet blast incident at Asheville Regional Airport was repaired by Daher’s Kodiak Care customer support team in a rapid response effort, backed by the company’s industrial capabilities at its Sandpoint, Idaho production facility and Kodiak final assembly line.
Daher Aircraft was contracted by the North Carolina Forest Service for the urgent replacement of both elevators on the Kodiak 100’s horizontal tail, which were determined to be damaged beyond repair by the exhaust blast from a taxiing business jet. The Kodiak 100 was being used to assess Hurricane Helene’s impact and determine the response needed in the state’s recovery plan, and the aircraft was present at Asheville Regional Airport because the facility was serving as a receiving/staging point for relief response coordinated by local, state and federal agencies.
A set of two new elevators were built by Daher at its Sandpoint factory in an accelerated process that included working over the weekend, and the company’s own Kodiak 900 demonstrator aircraft was dispatched to North Carolina with these components and the associated parts and tools, accompanied by two Kodiak Care team members.
Once the Kodiak 100’s elevator repair process was underway at Asheville Regional Airport, more extensive damage was found in the aircraft – extending to its rudder controls, significantly expanding the scope of repairs and requiring additional parts. This included a replacement bearing that was hand-delivered to North Carolina by a Kodiak Care mechanic who went into Daher’s Sandpoint facility on Sunday evening, and then drove 75 miles to Spokane for an overnight “red eye” airline flight, arriving in Ashville on Monday morning.
“The entire process was extremely well organized and executed, especially considering the logistic challenges and complications after a natural disaster on the scale of Hurricane Helene,” said Mike Stevens, the Kodiak Service Network Manager at Daher Aircraft. “This was a success based on a true team effort that brought together the full capabilities of Kodiak Care with our Sandpoint industrial facility and its employees.”
Daher’s Kodiak 900 demonstrator aircraft that brought the Kodiak Care team and its equipment to North Carolina could not remain in place at Ashville Regional Airport due to the high level of traffic and the area’s limited lodging. Therefore, the aircraft was flown each evening with the Kodiak Care team to Winston-Salem’s Smith Reynolds Airport for the night’s lodging.
When the Daher team was informed that hurricane relief supplies were being collected at Smith Reynolds Airport for distribution within North Carolina, the Kodiak 900 was made available for airlift support, subsequently transporting 1,000 lbs. of material on a return trip to Ashville, along with another 1,000 lbs. delivered during a stopover at Rutherfordton North Carolina.
Among the various Kodiak owners with individual participation in hurricane relief efforts was Mike Speedy, whose Kodiak 100 is based at Indy South Greenwood Airport in Indiana. Speedy performed trips to Ashville Regional Airport and Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina, as well as Pickens County Airport in South Carolina, carrying such cargo as canned goods, personal hygiene products, dog and cat food, diapers and medical supplies. An EMT (emergency medical technician) flew with Speedy to Statesville, and the trip to Pickens County Airport brought medical supplies that were specifically requested for South Carolina.
Eric Walden – whose Little Hawk Logistics company in Charlottsville, West Virginia operates two TBM 900s – performed flights that helped save some of the many animals that were left homeless or were lost after the hurricane, while also carrying personal hygiene products and other supplies. In support of the non-profit organization called “Green Dogs Unleashed,” Walden transported 1,000 lbs. of dog and cat food, and relocated cats and kittens to new foster homes.
“This was one of the most gratifying ways that I’ve ever used my skills as a pilot,” Walden said. “The qualities of the TBM were very key to the success of these missions.”
