Pioneer in Amphibious Aircraft. Ben Wiplinger is most remembered for being the founder of Wipline, Inc., a company that designs, certifies, and manufactures the Wipline 3900 float for the aircraft Cessna 182. His goal was “to build the toughest float anybody ever stuck under an airplane”. He first established the company's operations in 1960 at an old World War II barracks building that was located at the edge of the South St. Paul, Minnesota airport. By working with the staff of the St. Paul-based 3M Company on a metal bonding technique that allowed for fewer rivets, Wiplinger was able to produce a smoother, lighter float. In 1962, the first set of floats were sold to Ontario Central Airlines. As the company grew, the second generation of Wiplinger's, son Bob "Wip" Wiplinger, joined the company. By early 1970, the company had expanded to the point where the original facility was too small. Located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the new 23,000 square-foot facility allowed construction of the Wipline Seaplane Base (09Y). In 1974, Wipaire, Inc. was created as a certified Cessna Service Center. In 1979, the two entities merged as Wiplinger retired and sold his company to his son “Wip”. Today, the company is over fifty years old with his grandchildren managing it. A St. Paul native, Ben Wiplinger’s interest in aviation began with Lindbergh’s flight in 1927. At age 17 he built a Pietenpol Camper airplane. He studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Minnesota before working for Douglas Aircraft in California. He served as a mechanic in the Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he went into the aircraft maintenance business in St. Paul, refurbishing and selling surplus military aircraft. He purchased his first seaplane in 1951. He also developed a hydraulic system for amphibious aircraft floats holding several U.S. Patents on his inventions. His innovative float design and manufacturing techniques brought him international fame. He was inducted in the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 1999. Over the years, 16 different models of Wipline floats have been certified on aircraft ranging from Piper Cubs to the de Havilland Twin Otter. Nine of these float models are still in production today. According to the French magazine, “Aviation”, he has built over 2,000 floats for customers world-wide. In 2014 the Ben Wiplinger Memorial Seaplane Rating Scholarship was started as a way for company to celebrate their 55th anniversary. The scholarship is means of giving back to the seaplane community and investing in new seaplane pilots with a $1,500 scholarship given directly to the student's flight school. In late January 2013, the company opened a float plane service and repair facility at the Leesburg International Airport in Lake County, Florida. The same year, a device was develop to help fight fires with the aircraft having “the toughest float anybody ever stuck under an airplane” retrieving water from one location and dumping it on the flames of a raging fire.