Wag-Aero was founded by Dick and Bobbie Wagner in the basement of their house in Lyons in the early 1960s. By 1965, Wag-Aero printed its first catalog and continued to expand. In 1971, the company moved from Wagner's basement to its present location on North Road. The original warehouse and manufacturing facility has been expanded by three additions. The airstrip was built at the top of the hill for the convenience of our many fly-in customers.

Currently we have over 95,000 customers on our active mailing list. Over 600,000 catalogs are mailed each year. Wag-Aero sales are about 40% mail orders, 58% phone orders and 2% over-the-counter. Sales are worldwide, serving such countries as Canada, Western Europe, South Africa, Japan, Korea and Australia. Our catalog lists over 10,000 items.

Wag-Aero's first kit aircraft, the Sport Trainer, is a replica of the Piper J-3 Cub. Home builders can build this aircraft by ordering many required parts through Wag-Aero. Later, the Wag-A-Bond and the Sportsman 2+2 were added. The Sportsman 2+2 was one of the first four-place homebuilt aircraft which could be purchased via kit. Wag-Aero's kit sales are an important part of our business.

Aero Fabricators, was formed in the mid - 1970s. There are three departments within Aero Fabricators: welding, sheet metal fabrication, and seat belt manufacturing. The welding department remanufactures aircraft mufflers and engine mounts to FAA standards. They also produce many new manufactured aircraft exhaust systems, as well as structural components . The sheet metal department manufactures gas tanks, leading edges and metal skins and cowlings for many different aircraft, including our own kit aircraft. Both departments work together on the prefabrication of different items for our kit aircraft, including complete pre-welded fuselages. The seat belt division manufactures and repairs FAA approved seat belts and shoulder harnesses in many styles and colors and has been a leader in the industry in designing and manufacturing shoulder harness installation kits. In all, Aero Fabricators produces approximately 850 various components.

On September 1, 1995, Dick and Bobbie Wagner sold The Wag-Aero Group of companies to Bill Read and Mary Myers. Management continues to support the general aviation community by providing a variety of high quality products with attractive pricing. The first priority of the company is to provide exceptional customer service.

In April 1997 Wag-Aero acquired the assets of Viking Aero Manufacturing which expanded our product and manufacturing lines to include 23 different types of hand held tow bars, 17 models of hitch towbars, 5 new designs of windsock frames and several models of aircraft jacks.

" In October 2002 Wag-Aero acquired the assets of Ground Support Manufacturing, Inc. which further expanded our product and manufacturing lines into aircraft and airport related equipment. These products include a full line of aircraft hand held and tug type tow bars, aircraft jacks, oil and fluid drain pans, engine stands, wheel chocks, work platforms, aircraft winches and a new electric powered tow bar called the "Tow Buddy". These products are now all manufactured in our facility in Lyons, and marketed through the Wag-Aero catalog, the Wag-Aero Website, through Ground Support marketing brochures and a Ground Support Website."