News

WipCaire Hosts Garmin G1000 Training November 29 , 2007

On November 29th 2007, WipCaire services hosted a Garmin G1000 training session.  On site were Cessna Aircraft representatives Barry Wells of Cessna field service and Rick Basco.  Our facility was extended to other maintenance facilities from Faribault, Maple Lake and St. Cloud.  WipCaire service staff, Jeff Wyrens, Jeff Hauck, Steve Most, Dave Bates and Doug Kiser attended the one day in house seminar which detailed troubleshooting, component identification, and system maintenance.  The G1000 glass cockpit is the latest innovative product from Garmin and is standard equipment on all new Cessna single engine, Quest Kodiak, and soon to be installed on the 2008 Caravans.  This sets us apart as a complete one stop facility for all your aircraft needs. 

Introducing WipCaire: June 20, 2007

WipCaire is an aviation service center providing repair, maintenance, refinishing, interior, avionics and 24/7 customer service. The synchronized effort of our team minimizes ground time and gets you back in the air in record time.

1. Garmin begins deliveries of new WAAS approach-capable GNS-400 and GNS-500 series radios. These units are certified to TSO-C146a providing both lateral and vertical guidance to many airports that have never had a precision approach. There are currently 640 GPS-based approaches with minimums as low as 200 feet and ½ mile visibility. There are also over 1000 LNAV/VNAV approaches that provide vertical guidance with WAAS capable receivers, as well as thousands of other approaches with advisory vertical guidance. There are more approaches being added each month.
2. Garmin GMX-200 Multi Function display is now available. The GMX-200 features a crisper, brighter display that is 20% larger than its predecessor. The GMX-200 has an improved microprocessor that is two-and-one-half times faster than before.
3. Wipaire has previously-owned Garmin MX-20 Multi Function Displays for sale. We have the Standard and Traffic versions. Chartview is also available.

Pricing:

MX-20 Standard                         $3,850.00

MX-20 I/O Traffic                        $4,550.00

MX-20 Chartview                        $1,500.00

GNS430 & GNS530

MX-20

GMX200

AVIATION DIGEST ARTICLE PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2006
Product Reviews - "On the Water - Aluminum vs. Fiberglass DVD Available" by Jeff Moody

            "For many seaplane owners the argument has always been "hull" vs "floats" when it came to aircraft design. As the choices in the float camps were limited to aluminum float designs for many decades the argument came down to a personal preference in aircraft utility and design. However, as with the aircraft industry itself, the choices for current and aspiring float plane operators has opened up and now there are choices between the "traditional" aluminum construction and the new molded fiberglass model.

Wipaire, Inc. of South Saint Paul, MN, the worlds leading manufacturer of aluminum floats, has now produced a very thorough and educational DVD comparing the construction, performance and all around head to head technical comparison between the two types of floats.

With company President Bob Wiplinger acting as host and supported by employees of Wipaire, Bob takes on a set of Aerocet fiberglass floats in a head to head test that covers all the bases.

Give Bob credit for this DVD production as it is the fairest and best documented comparison of two competing products that I have ever seen in aviation. Beginning with an explanation of the circumstances that brought him to do the test, namely some old myths about aluminum float construction and the reputation of the new Aerocet floats as being "slippery" and built without the tradition "drag" associated with aluminum rivet construction, and concluding with his findings, the entire production is very professional.          

First, Bob takes two identical Cessna 182's and takes them through some ground tests that include doing static thrust tests, ground acceleration tests and weight tests on both airplanes to prove that both 182's are as identical as possible and no one aircraft had an inherent advantage from the start. To keep things equal, the Wipaire equipped aircraft even had lead added to the passenger compartment to account for a 15 pound difference in weight, after taking into account the two pilots weight differences. To make sure things were on the level, pilots were switched from the Aerocet aircraft to the Wipaire airplane throughout the testing itself. In the final ground test, both airplanes are filmed, side by side, accelerating down the runway in, what best can be described as a photo finish to prove their similarity.

Once the observer is assured all is well, the airplanes are taken to a lake off the Mississippi River and, with wing dams installed to prevent lift, are run against one another in high speed taxi tests to see which set of floats is the most slippery in real world flying. The result showed the Wipaire equipped aircraft to be about 4 knots faster in multiple tests. Through a set of computations that reminded me of college math class, the variables were eliminated and the end result was that the Wipaire floats were indeed 8% less held back by he water resistance over their bottom surface areas.

With that the aircrafts were then set side by side in the water for takeoff tests. In each case the Wipaire floats were airborne first, even with pilots switching aircraft. This was followed by an in-flight speed comparison that once again showed the Wipaire aluminum floats to be faster in the air, by a slight amount. A segment even covers the Aerocet team being beaten by the Wipaire team in Greenville in 2005 in a head to head competition.

 Bob takes the viewer through an in depth discussion of "myths" about aluminum floats construction. The old floats, he readily admits were prone to rivet leaks, and seam problems due to the compression and wearing out of the old seam "tape" that was used in the industry. The Wipaire floats are shown to use a new sealant process and Bob even goes so far as to remove the rivets from a section and try to separate the two pieces only to proclaim, "I bet you could fly these floats with just the sealant holding the bonded pieces together."

 Once back in the shop you are then taken on a comparison of weight differences by hoisting the two sets, complete with attachment points and hardware. The Wip's are about 80 pounds lighter and, as Bob points out, "That is before the fiberglass absorbs the expected 15 pounds or so of water after being exposed to use."

 The landing gear on the two ampibs were compared and even for the uninitiated the Wipaire design appears to be light years ahead of the Aerocet models. The Aerocet floats, as demonstrated both on the ground and in flight, will allow the main wheels to go "down and locked" in the event of a hydraulic failure in flight. At first glance you may think that is not a bad thing until you realize that the nose wheel on the Aerocet stays "UP AND LOCKED". A classic situation of being between the "devil and the deep". On the other hand, the Wipaire units are locked in both the up and down positions and should a hydraulic failure occur a normal water landing is all that is required to see repairs.

 Perhaps the most tantalizing part of the DVD is when Wipaire demonstrated, with what appeared to be a 5 pound hammer, what a good shot at a set of Wipaire floats would do for damage. The intent was to simulate hitting a rock or log while under power. The results were minor cosmetic damage. All primed up to see the same treatment on the Fiberglass floats and expecting to see the fiberglass strands fly around, Bob settled for showing what damage had already occurred by just beaching the fiberglass floats. Too bad, I was hoping for a real shattering experience.

  In the end, this DVD is well produced and even though I have been around float planes for more years that I care to recall, I found this DVD educational, professional, and as an added bonus, an inside look at the people of Wipaire. Even if floats are not on your immediate radar to buy, this is as good an instructional DVD as you will find on float construction."

Add Wipline Floats To ANY Cessna 172
October 13, 2005
Old or new, all models of the Cessna 172 can now be floated on Wipline floats. Wipaire, Inc., South Saint Paul, Minnesota, has received Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for the addition of straight or amphibious floats for all Cessna 172 aircraft ever built (less the military and Franklin engine models). In addition, the STCs allow owners to use any 180 hp conversion and specify numerous options for propellers, constant speed and fixed pitch. The STCs are applicable to 172 aircraft with 150, 160, and 210 hp engines as well.

“...this allows [Cessna] 172 owners more options when looking to add floats. Before, the Wipline floats were merely certified on a handful of Skyhawk models; now virtually any and all, including the [Cessna] 175 can take the Wips,” says Wipaire owner Bob “Wip” Wiplinger. “It’s been a long time coming for these patient customers who prefer to keep their favorite Skyhawk versus having to trade up to something new.”
Wipaire has used two models of floats to attain all the certifications. Wipline 2100 floats are now available for many Cessna 172 models, F172 models and the 175, with varying engine and propeller combinations and gross weights starting at 2220 lbs and ranging up to 2400 lbs. The larger Wipline 2350 floats, with a buoyancy of 2570 lbs, accommodate the remaining 172 models, P172Ds, F172 models, and the 175 series, here again with model-specific propeller and engine combinations, providing gross weights from 2450 lbs up to 2550 lbs.

Wipaire, Inc. has been manufacturing aircraft floats for 45 years. It specializes in straight and amphibious floats, as well as aircraft skis, avionics, paint, interiors, and maintenance. The company is located at (KSGS) Fleming Field, South Saint Paul, Minnesota...only minutes away from the famous “Mall of America” and other Twin Cities attractions. Wipaire manufactures floats for aircraft including, Aviat Husky, Piper Cub, de Havilland Beaver/Otter and Twin Otter, as well as the Cessna 170/172/175/180/182/185/206 and the turbine powered Cessna 208 Caravan, to name a few. The company also builds the amphibious floats for the Fire Boss, a scooping air tanker that can pick up 800 gallons of water in less than 15 seconds and deliver it to a nearby fire with exquisite precision.