Up in the air (in a good way)
New Tribes Mission’s first Kodiak took its maiden flight last week.
The plane is now in the process of being painted in the colors of NTM Aviation -- red and white with a gold stripe. The registration number, N498KK, will also be applied. The KK celebrates the role that the Kodiak Kids -- a group of then third-graders in Indianapolis -- had in funding the plane.
It’s a big plane, and painting will take at least ten working days.
Last week, the plane was in the air for about an hour on Tuesday in order to earn its certificate of airworthiness. The test flight verified that everything works properly in a variety of different speeds and settings, such as turning, climbing and descending.
The plane bore a different registration number for the flight. The final registration number was not official until the plane was certified as airworthy.
The plane is scheduled to be turned over to NTM Aviation at a delivery celebration in early January.