Sandpoint light airplane manufacturer Quest Aircraft Co. says it has manufactured and delivered its 100th Kodiak aircraft.

The company presented the aircraft to Sunstate Aviation, of Phoenix, earlier this month, says Julie Stone, a spokeswoman for the company.

Quest's Kodiak aircraft is a single-engine turboprop utility airplane with room for up to 10 seats. It's designed for use in areas that require short takeoffs and landings at remote airstrips and on unimproved surfaces. It also can be fitted with floats for takeoffs and landings on water.

The delivery to Sunstate marks a "major milestone in the history of Quest," Sam Hill, president and CEO of Quest says in a press release. "We have been committed to building a rugged, reliable aircraft that provides operators the versatility to accomplish any mission. We are proud to say that we now have 100 Kodiaks in service around the world, performing all types of operations."

Stone says the base price for the aircraft is about $1.8 million.

Quest occupies an 84,000-square-foot facility at the Sandpoint Airport, about 75 miles northeast of Spokane, where it employs 170 workers, she says.

The company produces two Kodiak airplanes a month and is prepared to ramp up production to three planes a month next year, Stone says.

Aviation entrepreneur Tom Hamilton and humanitarian-aid pilot David Voetmann founded Quest Aircraft in 2001, and the company began delivering Kodiak planes to customers in 2007.

Hamilton originally designed the plane to serve remote humanitarian missions and backcountry commercial aviation needs.

In addition to those purposes, Kodiak planes today are in service around the globe with charter operators, small businesses, personal owners, and U.S. and international government agencies, Hill says.

"Quest has come a long way in a relatively short period of time," he says.