The Daher Kodiak 100 is a high-wingprop utility aircraft built by Daher (formerly Quest) designed tocarry up to 9 passengers or cargo. These aircraft can be found rightacross the world, flying from base airports to remote fields,transferring vital supplies to remote and hard to reachcommunities.

SimWorks Studios have recently offered up their version of theKodiak 100 Series II. Best known for their military scenariosimulation combining military jets and carriers, including theirfantastic F-4B/N Phantom II, this is their second aircraft entry forMSFS, having previously released theZenith CH701.

With a lot of hype around the release of the aircraft thatcontinues to this day, I thought it was about time we took an in-depthlook at this aircraft and see what it's really about.

Aircraft Specification

• Crew: 1
• Length: 34 ft 2 in (10.4 m)
• Wingspan: 45 ft 0 in (13.72 m)
• Height: 15 ft 3 in (4.65 m)
• Empty Weight: 3,770 lbs (1,710 kg)
• Maximum Takeoff Weight: 7,255 lbs (3,291 kg)
• Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprop

Aircraft Performance

• Range: 1,132 nm (2,096 km, 1,303 mi)
• Rate of Climb: 1,371 fpm
• Service Ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
• Cruising Speed: 183 kts (339 km/h, 211 mph)

Download And Install

Installation of the Kodiak is a very simple process. Afterpurchasing the package at the FlightSim.Com Store, you are providedwith the aircraft installer. Just select the folder location for yourMicrosoft Flight Simulator Community folder and the rest of theinstallation is automatic.

The aircraft comes with two manuals. The first is a 35-pagedocument with instructions on how to fly the aircraft, performancecharts as well as some MSFS simulator tips. This is worth a read tolearn how to set up and fly your Kodiak as well as how to get the bestexperience with it in MSFS. The second is a reference guide todifferent switches and buttons within the cockpit, presumably toassist those looking to build their own cockpits with how to configuredifferent systems on the aircraft.

Exterior Model

I'll say right off the bat, this aircraft looks good. There are afew similarities in shape with more common aircraft of the same type,almost a cross between a souped-up Cessna Caravan and TwinOtter. SimWorks have included a lot of detail to the model of thisplane which you can see throughout.

There are four main versions of the Kodiak 100 included with thismodel. Two with standard fuselages, one with regular tires and onewith thicker tundra tires, the second with added cargo pod, one withregular and one with tundra tires again.

The standard and cargo pod versions look very similar, with thenotable attachment on the belly of the plane which includes a largebox and lockers to add an extra load onboard your cargo flights.

Zooming in and taking a closer look at the body, smaller detailssuch as rivets, bolts and panel gaps are visible and defined. A goodbalance of modelling and bump mapping gives you a good-looking planefrom all angles.

The aircraft also comes with a range of textured details, includingmaintenance decals and instruction labels on the body, to wings andengines that are clear and can be read when doing your virtual walkaround, plus weathering on the body to give you that old and ruggedfeeling. There are a total of 41 liveries included, all based onreal-world airlines and companies. This covers the majority ofoperators of the type, giving you full variety to choose from themoment you start flying.

Cockpit And Interior

The cockpit of the Kodiak is well laid out, using a series ofdigital Garmin panels that let you effectively manage the entireaircraft. The layout of the cockpit is simplistic, with G1000 systems(Synthetic Vision included) providing the Primary Flight Display,navigation, and autopilot options.

Every single switch, knob and circuit breaker is functional andwill affect how the aircraft flies. If you are having an electricalfailure for example or need to adjust how the aircraft operates, youcan pull on a breaker or turn off a system switch and this will bereflected within the aircraft.

The Garmin systems are based on default MSFS systems, but modelledand integrated to the main panels well, with buttons and switches allanimated. Miscellaneous details such as the window visors and doorscan also be adjusted by clicking on their 'correct' places (i.e.,levers and handles) and can all be interacted with. The skydivingvariant also enables the pilot to control the jump door and lights atthe rear of the plane. There is a high level of detail throughout thecockpit which looks good from all angles; making is especially goodfor those that like their screen shots or for flying in VR.

There is also a small touch-screen gauge on the lower part of theco-pilot's dashboard which manipulates the cabin climate control.

Looking back from the front, you will find an interior to match thetype of aircraft you are flying. These are all linked to your liveryselection, offering the choice between an empty rear for cargooperations, a skydiving rear with benches and large sliding door, asummit rear with six seats four facing each other behind the pilot, atundra interior with seven seats all facing forwards, and a mixedconfiguration enabling you to seat four passengers with cargo space atthe rear. Linking these all to the livery selection also helps 'keepclear' the aircraft selection menu by not filling your choices withall variants of the same Kodiak with a different interior.

The details from the cockpit reach out into the back withhigh-resolution textures across all of the pilot seats, vented walls,carpeted floor and doors (all of which are fully animated), and whichopen and lock in two parts for the standard models, or large slidingshutter when ferrying skydivers for a flight.

SimWorks worked with real Kodiak pilots and crews to ensure thattheir product gives you as authentic an experience as possible. So, iftheir crews are happy to vet the model and say it's close to the realthing, then I certainly won't say otherwise.

Sound

Aircraft audio has also been fine-tuned and sounds fantastic bothin the interior and exterior of the plane. The Kodiak makes use of asingle Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 engine which gives a high-pitchwhistling sound from the front. SimWorks has used samples from thereal aircraft which helps with immersion and puts you right in the hotseat.

There are also several smaller, miscellaneous sounds added to theplane, such as the whirring of the air conditioning when setting theaircraft climate control, to the high pitch buzz of the auxiliary fuelpump when activated.

As you spool up the engines, you can hear the power of the aircraftspring to life. This includes a higher pitch and volume to airconditioners, plus fuel pumps that now operate at a higher voltage.

Audio on the Kodiak is fantastic and really helps bring it to life.

Flight Dynamics

The Kodiak also feels good to fly; not too slippery where you'restruggling to handle it at high speeds, and not too heavy where youend up fighting it to maintain straight and level flight. Flying inand out of rugged airports in Papua New Guinea, and I got a goodfeeling to the aircraft and knew that I was in control, with littleinfluence against what I was attempting to do.

You also get a real feeling for the prop drift, especially on theground and during takeoff. I found myself holding the rudder a fewdegrees to the right just to keep the aircraft stable, with a tighthold to the right on takeoff which I slowly decenter once airborne - aresult from the small yet mighty engine at the front. Once in the air,it's a lot easier to manage and only requires small adjustments whenhand-flying to stop from rotating over.

It also has great low-speed performance too, with full flaps onlyneeding 55 kts to keep itself afloat with an average payload. If you dohowever let it get too slow, you will be punished with a deep stallthat throws you over the left-wing, something that is really hard torecover from, especially when at low altitude. 50 kts however is morethan enough to let you land on a two pence, especially with a goodheadwind assisting with that slow speed of flight.

Opinion And Closing Remarks

I've really enjoyed flying the Kodiak. It's a great aircraft forrough and rugged off chart flying, yet tame enough to hop in and outof larger airports to stock up on your next adventure.

SimWorks have included a great amount of work in the aircraft,making it as faithful to real life as possible. You can see this inthe modelling detail, audio splicing and system functionality; thiswas not something they were going to cut corners on. The result is anaircraft that looks and feels just like the real thing.

If you're looking for a faithful STOL supply aircraft for MicrosoftFlight Simulator, then you won't have to look much further than this,perhaps one of the best aircraft I've had the pleasure to use in thesimulator so far!

The Technical Bit

Minimum Requirements

• Radeon RX 570 / NVIDIA GTX 770, 4 GB minimum
• Ryzen 3 1200 / Intel i5-4460
• 8 GB RAM
• Windows 10
• 4.07 GB of hard drive space

Review PC Spec

• Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition
• Windows 10 Professional
• 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 6700K Processor
• 16 GB RAM
• NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3080

Michael Hayward

Purchase SimWorks Studios - Kodiak 100 Series II for MSFS 2020

Also available as a bundle with Okavango Delta scenery

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