The Wag-Aero Group is an American

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

that was founded by Dick and Bobbie Wagner in the 1960s and is based in

Lyons, Wisconsin Lyons is a town in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,648 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Lyons and Springfield are located within the town. History It was originally created as Hudson by ...

. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of kit aircraft and aircraft parts for amateur construction.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', pages 289-290, 367-374, 381-396, 401 and 407. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', page 159. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 126. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 75-76. Primedia Publications. The company is owned by Bill Read and Mary Myers.

Divisions

The Wag-Aero Group of companies includes several aerospace divisions from acquisitions, including: * Aero Fabricators * Ground Support Manufacturing, Inc *

Leading Edge Air Foils Leading Edge Air Foils LLC (formerly Leading Edge Air Foils, Inc.), usually called LEAF, is an American aircraft parts supplier based in Lyons, Wisconsin. It is a US limited liability company.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sou ...

* Safe Air Repair * Viking Aero

History

Wag-Aero was started by Dick and Bobbie Wagner in the 1960s and run from the basement of their home in Lyons, Wisconsin. In 1971 the company moved into permanent quarters and an aerodrome was constructed to accommodate fly-in customers, now known as Wag-Aero Airport (WI92). The company formed a subsidiary, Aero Fabricators, in the 1970s to make welded and sheet metal aircraft parts, plus seat belts. On 1 September 1995 the Wagners sold the group of companies to Bill Read and Mary Myers. In 1997 they purchased Viking Aero and in April 2002 acquired Ground Support Manufacturing, Inc. In 2005 they bought Safe Air Repair, a parts manufacturer. Ultralight parts supplier

(LEAF) was also added to the group.

Products

In addition to aircraft parts, the company supplies parts and kits to construct several light aircraft designs, all based on 1930s and 1940s

Piper Aircraft Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...

models.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 76. Belvoir Publications. The

Wag-Aero CUBy The Wag-Aero CUBy is a replica of the Piper J-3, designed by Dick Wagner and marketed by Wag-Aero of Lyons, Wisconsin as plans or in kit form.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', page 159. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. ...

, a Piper J-3 replica, was designed by Dick Wagner and first flew on 12 March 1975. It is offered in several different models and variants including the Acro Trainer, Observer, Sport Trainer and Super Sport. The Wag-Aero Wag-a-Bond was also designed by Dick Wagner as a Piper PA-17 Vagabond replica and first flew on 9 June 1978. The

Wag-Aero Sportsman 2+2 The Wag-Aero CHUBy CUBy is a high-wing four-seat homebuilt cabin monoplane of tube-and-fabric construction, it is a modern representation of the Piper PA-14 taildragger with elements from other Piper family members. The plane is currently mark ...

, also known as the Wag-Aero CHUBy CUBy, was designed by Dick Wagner and Tom Iverson as a

Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser The Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser is an American-built small touring aircraft of the late 1940s. Design and development Piper Aircraft had built the PA-12 Super Cruiser three-seat touring aircraft between early 1946 and March 1948. In 1947, the ...

replica and first flew on 8 May 1982.

Aircraft

References

External links

* {{LEAF aircraft Aircraft manufacturers of the United States Ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Companies based in Wisconsin Walworth County, Wisconsin