The story behind StaticWing, and the aerospace engineers, technical advisors, and industry partners driving VTOL innovation forward.
Neil Baxter, CEO & Founder
Before founding VTOLUTION, I spent years in the air as a commercial pilot. The idea for StaticWing® came from something very unusual I saw on the apron at Leeds Bradford Airport during a storm. The winds that night were borderline unsafe for landing. While heavy jets struggled to land, light aircraft tied down on the apron were straining against their anchors. Not because they were being blown away, but because they were levitating, trying to fly.
The wind over the stationary wing was creating pure, natural vertical lift. Where most people saw a problem, I saw an untapped engine… and an opportunity.
That was the spark for StaticWing®, a vertical lift aircraft inspired by what nature demonstrated that night, engineered to generate lift by working with the air rather than forcing it into submission.
Neil Baxter
CEO & Founder, VTOLUTION®
Founders
CEO & Founder
Commercial pilot who founded VTOLUTION in 2021, leading technology development for StaticWing®. Neil oversees a diverse and highly accomplished technical team of more than 15 aerospace engineers who are helping to make StaticWing the future of heavy lift logistics.
Technical Advisors
Strategic Aerospace & Defence Advisor
Ian Williams-Wynn brings nearly four decades of experience across aerospace, defence and advanced technology, including more than two decades specialising in unmanned and autonomous systems. As Managing Director of BlueBear Systems Research, Ian led an organisation recognised worldwide for pioneering autonomous aircraft, swarming technologies and advanced capabilities supporting major defence programmes. His experience spans aircraft systems, propulsion, avionics, sensors, communications, modelling and simulation, together with the strategic and commercial leadership required to develop and deliver complex aerospace technologies. Ian brings to StaticWing® a rare and brilliant combination of technical understanding, defence-sector experience and senior aerospace leadership.
Aerodynamics & Aircraft Design Advisor
Stephen McParlin is a highly experienced aircraft aerodynamicist with almost four decades in aerodynamic research, analysis and aircraft development. His career has included senior roles with the Royal Aircraft Establishment, DERA/QinetiQ and, most recently, BlueBear, now part of Saab. His expertise includes computational fluid dynamics, wind-tunnel testing, aircraft performance and the aerodynamic development of novel aircraft configurations. A Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stephen brings exceptional technical depth to the assessment, validation and continued aerodynamic development of the StaticWing® architecture.
Aerodynamics & Aircraft Design Advisor
Dr Oliviu Sugar-Gabor is a Senior Lecturer in Aerodynamics at the University of Salford, with specialist expertise in applied aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), aerodynamic shape optimisation and novel aircraft concepts. He previously worked as a research engineer at the National Institute of Aerospace Research in Bucharest before completing a PhD in Aerodynamics in Montreal, Canada. His academic and research work spans aircraft design, aerodynamic optimisation and advanced computational methods, providing valuable independent insight into the aerodynamic development and optimisation of StaticWing® technology.
Regulatory Advisors
Airworthiness, Certification & Regulatory Advisor
Michael Gadd brings more than four decades of aviation experience, including over 22 years in regulatory roles with the UK Civil Aviation Authority and EASA. A Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Michael has held senior technical and leadership roles across unmanned aircraft systems, aircraft certification, airworthiness, system safety and regulatory oversight. He has contributed to national and international aviation regulation through organisations including JARUS, EUROCAE, EASA and ICAO, and subsequently served as Head of Airworthiness at BlueBear Systems Research. Michael advises the StaticWing® programme on certification strategy, regulatory alignment and safety, helping ensure that these considerations are embedded as the aircraft progresses from development towards future operational deployment.
Commercial Advisors
Principal Investor & Commercial Advisor
Saul Lewin is a successful entrepreneur and investor with significant experience in building and scaling high-growth businesses. As the founder of Wingstop in UK & Ireland, Saul seeded and launched his business with two partners in 2018 and helped develop it into one of the UK's fastest-growing and most successful QSR businesses, culminating in its record-breaking acquisition by global investment firm Sixth Street for £420 million in 2024. As a principal investor and commercial advisor to VTOLUTION®, Saul brings proven entrepreneurial skill, commercial experience and first-hand understanding of how to take an ambitious business from early-stage opportunity through rapid growth and scaling cycles to significant enterprise value creation.
Strategic Advisor & Founder's Mentor
Elliot Browne is an experienced business leader, former NHS Divisional Director and management and organisational development consultant, with extensive experience in strategic, operational and organisational leadership. He went on to establish a successful consultancy business, advising organisations on strategy, governance, restructuring, partnerships and commercial development. Elliot has also been a longstanding personal mentor to VTOLUTION Founder and CEO Neil Baxter and was the company's first investor, supporting both Neil and the StaticWing® vision from the earliest stages of the company's journey.