Aero-TV Gets A Primer On GA Life Rafts Row, row, row... your life boat? When it comes to emergency floatation systems for aviation use, there is more misinformation and rumor out there than real information, it seems... so when the crews from Aero-TV had a chance to get some real info for a leader in the field, they jumped right in. The folks of Winslow Life rafts have been building life rafts for nearly 70 years. Founded in 1941 as the New York Rubber Company in upstate New York, the company constructed life rafts for the Allied Forces. After World War II, the company moved its operation to Sarasota, Florida, where it was acquired by John C. Winslow. Winslow produced the first marine and aviation life rafts available to the private sector. In 1989, Winslow was acquired by Fred Shoaff, a serious one design and offshore racer and a Bertram enthusiast. Shoaff's goal was to resurrect the company to its former glory as an industry leader by building a better life raft. Shoaff knew from his years at sea that the Achilles' heel of even the best available life rafts was weight and manageability. Capable life rafts simply weighed too much to be easily handled in an extreme emergency. From Shoaff's understanding of this critical flaw was born the concept of a life raft second to none in strength, durability and seaworthiness, yet extremely light and very compact. The result was the innovative Winslow Super-Light™, a superior design engineered for survival in extremes, but light enough that almost anyone, including women and children, can lift and deploy it at the most optimal launching point -- thereby improving the odds of survival. In 1994, Winslow 's aviation version of its offshore marine life raft received top honors in an independent review of aviation life rafts conducted by our good buddy, Doug Ritter (of 'Equipped To Survive' fame). Resulting demand encouraged Shoaff to secure FAA TSO approval for the life raft and to expand the aviation line. Today, Winslow manufactures a wide range of ...
