The aviation community mourns the loss of Robert Donald “Wip” Wiplinger, a respected pilot, engineer, innovator and longtime leader in the floatplane industry. Wip passed away peacefully on August 4, 2026, at the age of 80.
Aviation was in Wip’s blood. Growing up around his father’s aviation business at Fleming Field, he soloed a J-3 Cub as a young pilot and later earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Minnesota. In 1970, he joined the family business, Wipaire, eventually purchasing the float manufacturing operation from his father in 1979 and continuing its legacy of innovation.
Under Wip’s leadership, Wipaire developed a wide range of Wipline floats for aircraft ranging from Super Cubs to the Cessna Caravan, Kodiak, Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter. Perhaps his most recognizable contribution was the Fireboss—a modified Air Tractor AT-802 equipped with floats that can scoop hundreds of gallons of water in seconds, providing an important tool for fighting wildfires around the world.
Wip’s contributions extended well beyond aircraft design. He was an active pilot, mentor and advocate for aviation, earning the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and induction into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 2023. He and his son also established the Ben Wiplinger Memorial Scholarship to help support students pursuing float flying.
For generations of pilots, aircraft owners and aviation professionals, Wip will be remembered not only for the aircraft and innovations he created, but for his passion for aviation and the people who make the industry what it is. His legacy will continue to fly wherever Wipline floats take an aircraft—and wherever aviators carry forward his spirit of innovation.