Wipaire, Inc., with headquarters at Fleming Field, South St. Paul, Minn., has announced the schedule and topics for the grand opening event at its Leesburg, Florida facility, to be held Saturday, February 28, 2015. Based at the Leesburg International Airport (KLEE) since February 2013, Wipaire’s service center has expanded into a new, larger hangar.
“Our new 10,000 square foot hangar more than doubles our facility footprint and provides us much-needed room to accommodate the entire range of aircraft that Wipaire manufactures Wipline floats for. This means we can work on aircraft ranging in size from the Aviat Husky all the way up to the Twin Otter,” stated Chuck Wiplinger, President and COO.
The grand opening will feature a safety seminar with a variety of topics and flying demos in Wipaire’s Boss 182 and a Grand Caravan EX, continental breakfast and a catered lunch as well as door prizes.
Event check-in will start at 8:30 am, with a continental breakfast available. Chuck Wiplinger will kick off the event with a brief address at 9:00 am, and Brittnie Brink, aircraft sales representative, will follow to introduce the new Boss 182.
The first Wings seminar will be presented at 9:10 am by Brian Addis, Senior Flight Instructor with Lake & Air, and recognized seaplane training expert. The next speaker will be Vidar “Ice” Einareson, one of Wipaire’s A&P mechanics in Leesburg, Florida.
A catered lunch will be served following Ice’s presentation.
Steve McCaughey, executive director of the Seaplane Pilots Association, will speak on emergency safety gear at 12:30. Wrapping up the seminar will be Rock Rockcastle, an ATP and active simulator instructor based in Florida.
Attendees can receive FAA Wings credit. Demonstration flights will be provided, weather permitting, and both fly-in and drive-in visitors are welcome. Fly-in visitors can park on the main ramp in front of the Wipaire hangar.
Door prizes for those attending the seminar will include a GoPro Hero4 action camera, a custom Lake & Air seaplane jacket, a $100 Lake & Air pilot shop gift certificate, and three giveaway bags featuring limited-edition 55th anniversary items from Wipaire.
Anyone planning to attend is requested to RSVP at www.wipaire.com/grand-opening or by calling 651-414-6839. Schedules are subject to change.
For over 50 years, Wipaire has been engineering and manufacturing a full line of aircraft floats for all sizes of aircraft from the Piper Cub to the Viking Twin Otter, including most single-engine Cessna aircraft. In addition, Wipaire has engineered over 100 Supplemental Type Certificated modifications for improved performance, convenience, and reliability. As a leading aircraft service provider, Wipaire offers maintenance, avionics installation and repair, custom interior design and installation, and exterior paint refinishing all in one convenient location (www.wipaire.com).