British aviation. Independent spirit.
MAKE LESS
RUNWAY GO
FURTHER.
From a stock Thruster’s competition debut to Slingshot: a lightweight aircraft with one clear goal—win the STOL UK Fixed Wing Microlight championship.
Meet Slingshot ↗Partner with us ↗
Photo: @harryahop_photography
POPHAM / SEPTEMBER 2026 / SIMON’S STOCK TWO-SEAT T300
01 / Where it began
A first competition.
A promising result.
Simon Wilson entered his first STOL competition at Popham in September 2026, flying his stock, two-seat Thruster T300. The aircraft had never been designed with or fitted with brakes. There was no wind, and the competition strip was slightly downhill.
MICROLIGHT
TAKE-OFF + LANDING
The result was an encouraging start and prompted Simon to explore how a separately developed Thruster could build on the stock aircraft’s performance.
Read the competition story ↗
Photo: @harryahop_photography
The stock T300 at Popham. Slingshot is a separate development aircraft.
02 / Project Slingshot
Built to compete.
Developed to win.
Slingshot combines a Thruster TST fuselage with T300 wings, registered in the Single Seat Deregulated category. It is being developed specifically for competitive short take-offs and landings.
The priorities are clear: fit brakes, shed unnecessary weight, then install a more powerful and more fuel-efficient powerplant.
Explore the development ↗03 / The pilot
Flying runs
in the family.
First airborne with his father at six. Solo and licensed at 17. More than 5,000 hours and over 150 aircraft types later, Simon’s enthusiasm for the Thruster is as strong as ever.
A former Royal Navy Lynx Solo Display Pilot and Swordfish Lead Display Pilot, Simon now also flies the Lynx and Sea King with Historic Helicopters.
Meet Simon Wilson ↗
Photo: @harryahop_photography
04 / Follow the journey
From the strip
to the next chapter.
Photo: @harryahop_photography
Photo: @harryahop_photography
Good partners.
Extraordinary possibilities.
Support the development, competition programme and the story that brings Slingshot to a wider audience.