![The employees of Wipaire celebrate the delivery of Fire Boss No. 200. [Courtesy: Wipaire]](https://flyingmag1.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/200th-Delivery-Group-Shot-571A2495e-lg.jpg?width=2400&height=1600)
Wipaire, the Minnesota-based company famous for float systems and modifications, is celebrating the 200th delivery of a Fire Boss aerial firefighting aircraft. The milestone occurred on September 23 at Wipaire headquarters in South Saint Paul.
Wipaire, the parent company of Fire Boss, was created after World War II by Ben Wiplinger, a Minnesota native and aviation mechanic and engineer. During World War II while serving in the Army Air Corps in New Mexico, he developed a pre-oiling system for bombers. After the war Wiplinger returned to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and started an aviation company and FBO that converted military aircraft for civilian use.
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The company continued to evolve in the 1950s. Wiplinger had discovered floatplane flying and by the 1960s came up with a design for floats that used fewer rivets, resulting in a smoother, lighter float with a flat top—and Wipline floats were born. Wipaire has been family owned for three generations.
The company ethos for experimentation and modification in the name of versatility continued, and in 2003 the Fire Boss was certified. The Fire Boss is an Air Tractor AT-802 that has been modified by outfitting it with a specialized amphibious water scooping system. According to Wipaire, the Fire Boss can carry 820 gallons of water at a time.
The airplane is in use around the world, as wildland fires are a global phenomenon. There are Fire Boss aircraft in North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. The aircraft is certified in the United States, Europe, Australia, and China.
