Our Team

The People Behind AACS

At AACS, our strength lies in the experience, integrity, and dedication of our people. Our team brings together industry expertise, technical knowledge, and a commitment to delivering measurable results for our clients.

We believe in collaboration, innovation, and building long-term partnerships based on trust and performance.

Capt, Stephen Crocker

Founder & Director – Aerospace and Aviation Consulting Services (AACS)
United Kingdom & Australia

Stephen Crocker is a senior aviation professional with over 30 years of operational, regulatory, and strategic experience. As Founder and Director of AACS, he leads advisory, safety, and operational delivery for aviation authorities, commercial operators, airports, and government agencies worldwide.

Stephen has dedicated his career to strengthening aviation safety, compliance, and performance through hands-on operational expertise and regulator-aligned advisory services. His leadership reflects a deep understanding of the aviation landscape, enabling organisations to navigate complex regulatory environments, optimise operations, and implement robust safety systems.

Areas of expertise

• Safety Management Systems (SMS) design and implementation
• Air Operator Certificate (AOC) development and regulatory compliance
• Flight operations instruction and examiner qualifications (ATPL)
• Aircraft acquisition strategy and heavy-lift cargo network execution
• Multi-jurisdictional regulatory engagement and safety oversight systems
• Business development across the Asia-Pacific region

AACS contribution
Stephen drives AACS’s strategic direction and client delivery, combining technical proficiency with executive leadership to position AACS as a trusted, independent partner for organisations seeking practical, compliant aviation solutions

Qualifications and affiliations

• Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL)
• Flight Operations Instructor and Examiner
• 30+ years operational and regulatory aviation experience

📧 email@aacsltd.com
📞 +44 (0)7930654075

Ian Dix

Director  –   Specialist Aviation & Safety Adviser

Ian Dix is a senior aviation consultant and international subject-matter expert spanning civil, commercial, military, and specialist aviation environments. He provides strategic, evidence-based advisory to governments, regulators, airlines, and defence organisations, combining deep operational expertise with policy design, regulatory implementation, and technical system development across multiple jurisdictions.

His work spans civil, commercial, military, and specialist aviation environments, combining operational expertise with policy, regulatory, and technical system design capabilities.

Areas of expertise

• Aviation safety management systems (SMS) and regulatory reform
• Aircraft accident and incident investigation (35+ investigations over 20 years)
• ICAO compliance, oversight programmes, and inspector competency frameworks
• Airport master planning, operational modelling, and airspace integration
• Aviation security, defence support, and industry self-administration frameworks
• Training in investigations, human factors, quality management, safety management systems, Human and Organisational Performance (HOP)

AACS contribution
Ian leads AACS’s regulatory and safety advisory practice, delivering practical, implementation-focused consultancy across government, commercial, and defence aviation clients — from early feasibility and policy development through to operational deployment.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Education & Commercial Pilot Licence/Flight Instructor
• Specialist in ICAO audit leadership and regulatory oversight systems
• Recognised authority in aviation industry self-administration frameworks
• International consultancy experience across government, commercial, and military domains
• Member: Australian Aviation Psychology Associations

Margaret Llewellyn OBE

Strategic Transport & Infrastructure Advisor

Margaret Llewellyn OBE is an accomplished executive and non-executive leader with a distinguished career spanning rail governance, maritime operations, and airport board leadership. Her board-level roles at Cardiff Airport and the Ports of Jersey give AACS direct, practical insight into live airport and multi-modal infrastructure environments.

Her executive and non-executive career spans rail governance, maritime operations, economic development and airport board leadership — including service on the boards of Cardiff Airport and Ports of Jersey (operator of Jersey Airport). This provides AACS with direct insight into live airport operating environments alongside rail and port infrastructure oversight. Margaret brings practitioner-level command of runway utilisation, terminal efficiency, ground handling coordination, and surface access integration — grounded in direct board-level exposure to live airport operations

Areas of expertise

• Airport board governance, commercial positioning, and route development strategy
• Rail, port, and multi-modal transport strategy and transformation
• Infrastructure investment challenge, capital programme governance, and business case review
• Operational performance, resilience, and business continuity planning
• Public-private operating models and shareholder and government reporting frameworks
• Sustainable transport integration and regional economic growth alignment

AACS contribution
Margaret provides independent board-level challenge and strategic assurance across AACS’s transport and infrastructure engagements, enabling integrated, multi-modal advisory with genuine operational credibility and governance depth.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
• Non-Executive Director — Cardiff Airport
• Board Member — Ports of Jersey (operator of Jersey Airport)
• Executive and non-executive leadership across rail, maritime, and aviation sectors

Capt, Wally Epton

Senior Aviation Advisor

Wally Epton is a distinguished aviator with six decades of service across military and civil aviation. He began his career in 1958 as a Royal Air Force apprentice at RAF Halton, progressing through officer training at RAF College Cranwell to pilot Strike/Ground Attack Canberras, C-130 tactical transports, and HS-125 Dominie navigation trainers. He served as a display pilot with the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, flying Spitfires and Hurricanes, before retiring from the RAF in 1978 as a Squadron Leader. Following nearly a decade in Australia building business aviation standards for Shell, he returned to the UK and accumulated 16,400 commercial flight hours across 33 years of business jet operations with operators including Gama Aviation, Coles Myer, and Readymix Concrete. In 2024 he received the BBGA Michael Wheatley Award for Outstanding Services to General Aviation.

Areas of expertise

• Military aviation operations: Strike/Ground Attack, tactical transport, and airshow display flying (BBMF Spitfires and Hurricanes)
• Business jet operations across UK, EASA, and FAA regulatory environments (16,400+ commercial hours)
• Business aviation industry governance, standards development, and self-administration frameworks
• Historic aircraft preservation, airworthiness oversight, and association leadership
• Aerodrome consultative engagement and general aviation stakeholder representation
• Industry leadership, association governance, and international business aviation development

AACS contribution
Wally brings to AACS an extraordinary breadth of military and civil aviation experience spanning six decades, combined with active senior roles at the heart of the UK’s general and business aviation community. His current positions as Chairman of the Historic Aircraft Association, Chair of the RAE Farnborough Aero Club, and member of the Aerodrome Consultative Committee for Farnborough Airport ensure AACS maintains direct, authoritative connections across the UK aviation landscape.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) — UK, EASA, and FAA
• 16,400 commercial flight hours across military, business jet, and general aviation types
• BBGA Michael Wheatley Award for Outstanding Services to General Aviation (2024)
• Chairman, Historic Aircraft Association (HAA)
• Chair, RAE Farnborough Aero Club; Member, Aerodrome Consultative Committee — Farnborough Airport
• Liveryman and former Master (2011), Honourable Company of Air Pilots; Master Air Pilot Certificate No. 892
• Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS); Freedom of the City of London

Dr Mike Clee

Engineering & Higher Education Specialist

Dr Mike Clee is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Physicist, and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with over 30 years spanning aerospace engineering, academic leadership, and industry consultancy. He played a defining role building Swansea University’s aerospace engineering programme from a small cohort to annual intakes exceeding 200 students, and holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics with an early research appointment at the University of Cambridge.

Areas of expertise

• Aerospace engineering design, aircraft structures, and space systems
• Airworthiness support, compliance evaluation, and independent technical review
• Engineering programme development, curriculum design, and academic leadership
• Safety and risk analysis with systems-level and cross-disciplinary thinking
• Professional training design and delivery aligned to industry requirements
• Quality assurance, assessment frameworks, and external examining

AACS contribution
Mike supports AACS across airworthiness advisory, engineering design and technical review, safety and risk analysis, and training development. His ability to translate complex engineering concepts into clear, structured insights for diverse audiences makes him a valued independent technical adviser.

Qualifications and affiliations

• PhD in Theoretical Physics; BSc in Applied Physics
• Chartered Engineer (CEng); Chartered Physicist (CPhys)
• Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
• Member, Association of Aerospace Universities (AAU)
• Member, Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC)

Randal McFarlane

Senior Aviation Advisor

Randal McFarlane is a highly experienced aviation executive and entrepreneur with over five decades in commercial, military, and business aviation. Trained as an officer at the Royal Australian Air Force Officer Training School, he went on to build and lead major aviation enterprises across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. As Managing Director of Transjet Aviation Group he oversaw the growth of a group with turnover exceeding AU$85 million, and as Managing Director of MacAir Airlines he held full company leadership responsibility alongside his appointment as CASA CEO Delegate.  His advisory portfolio spans airline business planning, aircraft sales and acquisitions, South-East Asian airline consultancy, US aviation fund project management, and major Indian pilot training operations.

Areas of expertise

• Airline business planning, start-up structuring, and commercial strategy development
• Aircraft acquisition and sales — corporate jets and regional airliners
• Regional airline operations, executive leadership, and regulatory accountability (CASA CEO Delegate)
• Freight and charter operations management across Australian domestic and regional markets
• International aviation consultancy — South-East Asia, India, and the United States
• Aviation investment and fund management; pilot training programme development

AACS contribution
Randal brings to AACS executive-level credibility across the full aviation business lifecycle — from start-up structuring and regulatory compliance through to large-scale operational management and international growth. His active roles at both Vne Aviation Group and Pionair Australia ensure AACS clients benefit from current, commercially grounded insight across the Australian and Asia-Pacific aviation markets.

Qualifications and affiliations

• RAAF Officer Training School — Commissioned Officer, Royal Australian Air Force
• Founder & CEO, Vne Aviation Group (2022 — Present)
• Director of Business Development, Pionair Australia (BAe 146 WhisperJet operations)
• Former Managing Director, MacAir Airlines; CASA CEO Delegate
• Former Managing Director, Transjet Aviation Group (turnover exceeding AU$85 million)

Capt. Wayne Robert Parsons

Senior Aviation Training and Human Factors Advisor

Wayne Parsons is an airline captain and aviation training professional with over 38 years of operational and instructional experience at British Airways, Gulf Air, and Hunting Cargo. He holds senior TRI/TRE qualifications issued by the UK CAA and is recognised for delivering CRM training to approximately 15,000 cabin crew at British Airways, as well as designing aviation management and human factors courses for NATS air traffic controllers. He currently serves as a Synthetic Flight Examiner at CAE Burgess Hill and sits on the UK CAA Air Traffic Control Working Group.

Areas of expertise

• Crew Resource Management (CRM) training design, delivery, and Train-the-Trainer programme leadership
• Type Rating Instruction and Examination (TRI/TRE) — Boeing B737-300/900 (UK CAA)
• Synthetic Flight Instruction and Examination (SFI/SFE) — Learjet 45/75 (UK CAA and EASA)
• Human factors application across aviation, air traffic control, and high-performance team environments
• Aviation management course design and delivery to NATS controllers, LIFUS, and route training
• Multi-type international airline operations spanning wide-body, narrow-body, and cargo jet fleets

AACS contribution
Wayne brings to AACS an exceptional depth of airline training experience and a proven record in human factors and CRM programme design at scale. His current role on the UK CAA Air Traffic Control Working Group keeps AACS connected to the frontline of regulatory and procedural development across UK airspace.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) — Current Class 1 Medical
• Type Rating Examiner (TRE) / Type Rating Instructor (TRI) with LIFUS — Boeing B737-300/900 (UK CAA)
• Synthetic Flight Examiner (SFE) / Synthetic Flight Instructor (SFI) — Learjet 45/75 (UK CAA and EASA)
• UK CAA Air Traffic Control Working Group — Current Member
• Light Aircraft Qualified Flight Instructor (QFI)
• Aircraft types: B787, B777, A319/320/321, B737-300/900, B747-400, B727, B767/757, SD360/330

John (Toby) Butler

Aviation Quality, Safety and Assurance Advisor

Toby Butler is a seasoned assurance professional with over 20 years in quality, safety, and governance across high-hazard aviation and defence environments. A Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Rotary) and Certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, he has held senior roles across Australian Defence, Commonwealth Government, UN international operations, and commercial aviation.

Areas of expertise

• Quality and Safety Management System design, recovery, and implementation
• Technical governance, assurance oversight, and engineering compliance (DASR, ISO 9001)
• Aviation audit planning, execution, and corrective action management
• Root cause analysis and incident investigation (TapRoot Lead Investigator)
• Defence aviation program assurance — DASR 21J, MTCH, and Form 4 delegation
• Policy development, regulatory interpretation, and compliance framework design

AACS contribution
Toby strengthens AACS’s aviation quality assurance and defence regulatory compliance capability. Drawing on senior roles at CASG Army Aviation Systems Program Office, Boeing Defence Australia, the United Nations World Food Programme, and CASA, he delivers practical, evidence-based assurance solutions across civil, defence, and international aviation environments.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Rotary)
• Certified Lead Auditor — ISO 9001:2015
• TapRoot Lead Investigator — Advanced Root Cause Analysis
• Executive Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration — Queensland University of Technology
• Associate Degree (HND) in Mechanical Engineering — Sheffield Hallam University
• Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) — UK OGC
• CASG Performance Based Contracting (PBC) Practitioner
• Current NV1 Security Clearance (Australian)
• Member:  Chartered Quality Institute (CQI)

Lucas Williams

Website Design & Management, and IT Support 

Lucas is the driving force behind AACS’s digital presence, ensuring our website and online systems run smoothly, securely, and effectively. Lucas is a digital and IT professional with over four years of practical experience spanning responsive web design, social media management, and IT systems administration. As founder and owner of L7 Digital, his Swansea-based digital agency, he manages a portfolio of client accounts across multiple sectors. His concurrent roles with Tourism Swansea Bay — encompassing website management, social media strategy, and IT systems administration — demonstrate his ability to operate across complex, multi-channel digital environments under real commercial demands. He is also Co-Owner of Swansea Spotlight and Co Director of Evrlo, reflecting a broader entrepreneurial engagement with digital business development.

Areas of expertise

• Responsive web design, user experience, and professional digital presentation
• Website platform management, content administration, and performance optimisation
• Social media strategy, content management, and digital channel development
• IT systems administration, infrastructure maintenance, and technical troubleshooting
• Multi-client digital account management across commercial and public-facing environments
• Digital security, online infrastructure continuity, and systems reliability

AACS contribution
Lucas ensures AACS’s digital presence reflects the same professionalism the firm brings to every client engagement. Drawing on his experience running L7 Digital and managing live digital operations concurrently across multiple organisations, he provides reliable, technically competent support across all of AACS’s online channels — from website maintenance and performance to IT systems continuity.

QUALIFICATIONS & AFFILIATIONS

• Business Studies — Gower College Swansea
• Founder & Owner, L7 Digital — digital and IT consultancy, Swansea
• IT Systems Administrator & Website Manager, Tourism Swansea Bay (3+ years)
• Co-Owner, Swansea Spotlight; Co Director, Evrlo

Contact: Lucas@L7D.co.uk

Why Our Team Makes the Difference

• Industry-certified professionals with deep operational and regulatory experience
• Client-focused approach with a proven track record of successful programme delivery
• Unwavering commitment to safety, compliance, and continuous professional development
• Independent, evidence-based advisory free from commercial conflicts of interest
• Global reach with local regulatory knowledge across civil, defence, and commercial aviation

Our Commitment

Every member of AACS is committed to delivering:

• Professional excellence
• Transparent communication
• Ethical business practices
• Results-driven solutions

Together, we work to exceed client expectations and build long-term partnerships.