In 1995, following 10 years of running a company that performed aircraft exhaust system repairs, Dane Wagner opened Leading Edge Exhaust Systems (LEES) (www.wemakeyoufly.com), in Anchorage, Alaska. He was determined to build aircraft exhaust systems that were not only of higher quality and more robust than OEM equipment but that would allow the engine to develop more power. Having experience with the needs of the Alaska bush operators, he targeted their airplanes of choice, the Cessna 180 and 200 series and the Piper PA12, 18 and 20/22. The Cessna 182 system is shown in the inset photograph.
Prior to and during his aviation career, Wagner had been involved in automotive racing, including the Indianapolis 500 and made use of technology for exhaust system efficiencies developed in the automotive world in the design of LEES exhausts.