Initially Wipiti was posted to the Royal Air Force's No. 243 Squadron, which was based at Kallang Airport in Singapore, and operated the outclassed Brewster Buffalo fighter. Once the Japanese invaded British Malaya on 8 December 1941, he was part of a small detachment from No. 243 Squadron to briefly operate with an Australian squadron, No. 21 Squadron, flying from Ipoh, and returning to Singapore on 14 December.