Robert ‘Wip’ Wiplinger in the cockpit of a floatplane [Credit: Wipaire LinkedIn]
Key Takeaways:
Robert "Wip" Wiplinger, a second-generation leader of Wipaire and a significant innovator in aviation, passed away at 80.
He was instrumental in developing numerous performance-enhancing aircraft modifications, including composite floats and over 100 supplemental type certificates (STCs).
Under Wiplinger's leadership, Wipaire created the globally recognized Fire Boss Air Tractor AT-802 for aerial firefighting, leading to his induction into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 2023.
Robert “Wip” Wiplinger, a second-generation Wipaire employee and the mind behind several aircraft modifications designed to improve the capability of float-equipped airplanes, died on August 4 in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. He was 80.
Since his death, more than 100 people have taken to social media to pay their respects.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
![Robert ‘Wip’ Wiplinger in the cockpit of a floatplane [Credit: Wipaire LinkedIn]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/1786481267146.jpeg)
