Submitted by Crista Worthy on Fri, 09/06/2013 - 19:24.
Thanks for your comment, Charlie, and for your service with the Collings Foundation. A lot of exciting things are going on in northern Idaho! Funny thing about Idaho is how many people confuse it with Iowa, over 1500 miles to the east. Although not many pilots make that mistake. But for a relatively unknown state, Idaho has so much to offer, especially in terms of aviation. Burt Rutan, whom you mentioned, "retired" to Coeur d'Alene a few years ago and continues to make waves in aviation that are felt world-wide. And Sandpoint, the small town near the Canadian border, is helping to revitalize the region's economy. Quest, the manufacturer of the Kodiak heavy duty bush turbo prop, has really become successful and is adhering to their original goal of giving away roughly one out of every 10 airplanes they build, to further mission work around the world. Tamarack winglets are a brilliant invention that save fuel and increase range, and now the Sandpoint runway rumbles every day with bizjets flying in to have those winglets installed. To supply the demand for skilled workers at both Quest and Tamarack, the local college has added new courses and programs specifically tailored toward aviation, in part with the support of the Bird Aviation and Invention Museum, also located near Sandpoint. So there you have two new, successful aviation companies in one small town. Meanwhile, Kitfox Aircraft is doing well in southern Idaho, and of course you have Aviat just across the border in Wyoming. Another great aviation destination is very close to Sandpoint: Priest Lake. We love the gorgeous grass airstrip called Cavanaugh Bay at the south end of the lake, which is large and smooth enough for many non-bush airplanes like Cirrus or even twins. And they have a floatplane dock. The Idaho Aviation Association just held their annual fly-in the weekend of August 24 at Cavanaugh Bay. Thanks again for writing! Crista Worthy
Thanks for your comment, Charlie, and for your service with the Collings Foundation. A lot of exciting things are going on in northern Idaho! Funny thing about Idaho is how many people confuse it with Iowa, over 1500 miles to the east. Although not many pilots make that mistake. But for a relatively unknown state, Idaho has so much to offer, especially in terms of aviation. Burt Rutan, whom you mentioned, "retired" to Coeur d'Alene a few years ago and continues to make waves in aviation that are felt world-wide. And Sandpoint, the small town near the Canadian border, is helping to revitalize the region's economy. Quest, the manufacturer of the Kodiak heavy duty bush turbo prop, has really become successful and is adhering to their original goal of giving away roughly one out of every 10 airplanes they build, to further mission work around the world. Tamarack winglets are a brilliant invention that save fuel and increase range, and now the Sandpoint runway rumbles every day with bizjets flying in to have those winglets installed. To supply the demand for skilled workers at both Quest and Tamarack, the local college has added new courses and programs specifically tailored toward aviation, in part with the support of the Bird Aviation and Invention Museum, also located near Sandpoint. So there you have two new, successful aviation companies in one small town. Meanwhile, Kitfox Aircraft is doing well in southern Idaho, and of course you have Aviat just across the border in Wyoming. Another great aviation destination is very close to Sandpoint: Priest Lake. We love the gorgeous grass airstrip called Cavanaugh Bay at the south end of the lake, which is large and smooth enough for many non-bush airplanes like Cirrus or even twins. And they have a floatplane dock. The Idaho Aviation Association just held their annual fly-in the weekend of August 24 at Cavanaugh Bay. Thanks again for writing! Crista Worthy