PK Floats flies into its 70th year of aircraft float manufacturing

PK Floats Inc. is celebrating its 70th year of FAA-certified aircraft float manufacturing. Patrick McGowan, the company’s president and member of the PK owners group, stated, “Our company has produced over 1,500 sets of aircraft floats over the past 70 years. We are proud of our Maine company that continues to serve several generations of pilots and aircraft throughout the world. Our product is handmade by Maine craftsmen.”

PK Floats was started in International Falls, Minnesota in 1954 by Peter Kellner who received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technical standard orders (TSO) for his first aircraft float in 1955. Some of the floats manufactured in the 1950s are still in service today. Many of the floats manufactured over the years have been installed on law enforcement and natural resources aircraft belonging to state and federal agencies. The aircraft floats are constructed with FAA-approved materials and then hand riveted together at PK Float’s current Lincoln, Maine facility. The 14,000ft² factory is located at the Lincoln Regional Airport; there’s also a seaplane base on the Penobscot River to launch the aircraft and serve the seaplane flying community.

The aircraft floats are used for search and rescue, forest fire prevention, fish stocking, wildlife monitoring, and marine patrol missions.

PK Floats was owned by AVIC Joy Holdings HK Ltd. but was brought back to U.S. ownership by McGowan and a small investment group in 2018. Since July 2018, the company has introduced several new products for the General Aviation flying community. Most recently, the company’s engineer Levi Guimond and production manager Keith Strange of Lincoln designed an amphibious aircraft float for the experimental market. Guimond, who brought the initiative to the company, stated, “The experimental aircraft market is the fastest growing segment in general aviation.” The new experimental float is now half of the production of the Lincoln-based company today.

PK Floats employs 15 full- and part-time employees, also partnering with several other small Maine companies providing parts production and support. The company has recently been accepted into the Maine Apprenticeship Program. The 70-year-old company has also adopted an employee friendly, four 10-hour day work schedule.

PK Floats also offers an aircraft sales and brokerage service to buyers and sellers of airplanes with a focus on float equipped and backcountry bush planes. Since its inception late in 2019, PK Floats Aircraft Brokerage has sold more than 55 aircraft throughout the United States and Europe.