I Flew a $3,900,000 Plane and It Blew My Mind (Full Debrief)

Note: I was not compensated for this video. All opinions are my own.
I recently got to fly the Kodiak 900, which is a 900 horsepower, 10 passenger airplane with a cargo pod that can cruise at 210 knots and still takeoff and land in under 1,500 feet. It's truly one of the most impressive airplanes I've ever flown. In this video I wanted to provide a debrief of my experience and try to describe what it was like to fly this incredible machine.
Video Chapters:
0:00 - Why This Airplane is Awesome
0:35 - Initial Impressions
1:12 - Cockpit
2:08 - Startup (My Favorite)
3:20 - Taxi
4:19 - Takeoff
5:33 - Climb
6:09 - Cruise
6:52 - Slow Flight & Stalls
8:22 - Descent & Landing
10:10 - The Cons
11:16 - Link to Full Flight
Link to full flight: • TOTAL UNICORN! The Bes...
Link to full walkaround tour: • The MOST Impressive Ai...
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[@AirplaneAcademy]

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[@jimjernigan3670]

This plane is one reason I keep buying lottery tickets.

[@Rhaspun]

Win the lottery and buy a Honda Jet. 😀

[@acasualviewer5861]

@@Rhaspun you'll need a second lottery to pay for the operating costs.

[@djw621]

That’s hilarious it’s had the same effect on me

[@tropicthndr]

Even lottery tickets won’t help you pay for the 10,000$ a year insurance.

[@2beesfarmstead819]

@@tropicthndr Its funny how people dont understand the amount of money the lottery pays out. even a "small" 30Mil would pay you 1.5 mil a year at 5%. I am sure that 10K in insurance would be affordable :)

[@chrisATX]

One of my favorite airplanes! Great video.

[@kentd4762]

Thanks, Charlie. What a great experience for you.

[@hateeternalmaver]

Very nice report, loving the technical detail mixed with the personal impressions.

[@worldofmark]

Great flying with you Charlie!

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Cheers mark!

[@aviatortrevor]

I think the engine is also angled to reduce the left turning tendencies, instead of being in-line with the longitudinal axis

[@addsub49]

Charlie, This is the first video I've seen from you and it made my day. You are just so happy and stoked to be talking about this aircraft and it really shows. 11:33 mins of watching this honestly improved my day 10 fold. Keep up the good work and positive attitude about life. -a

[@AirplaneAcademy]

hey thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's an easy airplane to get excited about :)

[@RusscanFLY]

What a beast of an airplane! I would never need that much airplane, but man that must be such a joy to fly!

[@zarmril]

This was fun to watch

[@ramspace]

Great passion.

[@jeffreybryner1196]

Charlie, absolutely love your productions. Your "sound effects" part had me laughing. As always, informative and super entertaining. Never lose that sense of humor man. I agree with the reader's comment below -- this is why I keep buying lottery tickets.

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Thanks a bunch Jeffrey. Glad you have been enjoying it I appreciate you letting me know!

[@user-wf3qx4og1j]

Thank you so much

[@danmcburney3247]

AWESOME 👍👍👍

[@madisonromero3529]

Watching this video I said the line from Napoleon Dynamite probably 20 times. "LUCKY". Seriously that plane is beautiful.

[@baomao7243]

Looks way fun

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

0:21 Very true like the only one I can think of that does that stuff, better even is the Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey so yeah the 900 kodiek is very nice.

[@ecossearthur]

❤ me some Kodiak

[@Dan_C604]

Great presentation! Did you try the 100? Would you be willing to compare both? Thanks!

[@AirplaneAcademy]

I did, and have some new videos about that on the channel now. The high level difference is mainly speed (900 is about 30-40kts faster) but the 100 has better short field performance.

[@SpaceFrawg]

1:40 Three TV screens... ABC, NBC, & CBS ? :) These have cable. These go to 11.

[@jurepecar9092]

Next plane to try and get impressed with: Dash-7 (if you can still find any flying) :D

[@Gmeech]

The power should be almost instantaneous in any turboprop. I haven't flown this plane, but if your RPM is set for take-off or landing, then when you add power, I would suspect that you are just changing the pitch of the blades which should be almost instant. Does this airplane not operate like that. Most turboprops operate like this. No spooling up the engine like in jets. You set max RPM for takeoff or landing, and when you adjust power it's instant. When you go around in the flare, the blade should go from neutral to max climb in less than 1 second. Can you advise if this plane is different?

[@rmp5s]

A plane THAT BIG rotates at SIXTY KNOTS!? That's INSANE!!!

[@whiffy506]

900hp is an insane amount of thrust. I see another pilot out here who flies a Kodiak 100, even fully loaded they rotate below 70kts. I take off a Cherokee at 70...insane.

[@rmp5s]

@@whiffy506 Yea, it's a LOT of power. About as much as my GT-R makes! Hope that stays on the ground, shiny side up, though. 🤣

[@cleekmaker00]

It's why the Kodiak is such a popular ride for many Missionary organizations who do work in isolated places like Micronesia and South America. Those Kodiaks can get into really tight and small unimproved strips.

[@rmp5s]

@@cleekmaker00 Definitely!! Very cool!!

[@glendavis1266]

I’m suspect that Pratt & Whitney will build smaller turbines that will fit smaller aircraft like Cessna 182! They may be working on it now!

[@SaltyPirate71]

O&N and Soloy have STCs for fitting the Cessna 210 and 206 with 450 hp Rolls-Royce turbines.

[@mehmetvural8095]

have a nice day. cruising speed 400 km/h. range 1500 km. I want to own a sightseeing plane for 2 or 4 people. new. What is the average total price? thanks.

[@joshuapatrick682]

The cost of buying this likely 5 million dollar rig (with listed options) is more of a “hold on, this isnt a plane for doctors and lawyers” this is a serious financial commitment. The per 100 hour fixed cost is 171,000… ready for it? Not unless your money makes you money….

[@CascadiaAviation]

Gonna get a job flying one Charlie? 😀

[@juliojames5986]

With small tires….and fairings, 900 HP. What market or purpose is the target for this airplane ?

[@davidmangold1838]

It’s great for going into short strips in the Bahamas and carribean, with full load of passengers and cargo.

[@Natemire]

Not in Kansas anymore eh? Is that a Cessna reference? Lol

[@MattMorris481]

The only worrisome part about a turbine is the dreaded hot start one of those and you just spent a half a million dollars or more on PT6A-140A.

[@MrGriff305]

4 million? Good Lord

[@augggie]

No crapper, Deal Breaker

[@reallynotpc]

Just a guess, but I feel you may have rather enjoyed that.

[@dinocaminos]

its the copy of the caravan

[@joshuapatrick682]

Is using a turbine to drive a propeller cheating? Probably but its fine

[@Hedgeflexlfz]

3.9m for single engine fixed gear is stupid

[@tropicthndr]

Too bad it’s 8000 lbs, because all the best little towns to visit all across America have weight limits on the their runways that are under the 8000lb limit. Which makes all these capabilities useless for anything other than commercial contract work.

[@redblack8414]

''This airplane is so cool''. ''What's so cool about it''. ''The coolest thing that I have seen''. What about improving your vocabulary? Using the same word dozens of time in an 11 minutes video is pathetic.

[@nyontozel]

Hey Charlie, are you in the US or Canada?

[@Poopshit420]

Now fly a dollar store plane.