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August 31st 2026
Fort Worth, TX
Dr. Valerie Manning joins Aerolane as Senior Advisor
Dr. Valerie Manning is joining Aerolane as a Senior Advisor, helping to shape Aerolane’s product and commercial direction through entry into service for Aerotowing products, including first the Aerocart Conversion series (AC) and Aerocart Glider (AG) series products thereafter.
Aerolane is moving from proving aerotowing concepts are operationally sound and commercially valuable to building a repeatable, scalable business.
“We’ve transitioned from ‘does this work?’ to ‘how does this work at your fleet’s airports?’ and this is a technology question, but it is also an organizational change question,” said Aerolane CEO Todd Graetz. “We wanted to find the best people in the industry who have run complex in-service operations for major aviation platforms with airlines of all sizes.”
Although Aerolane’s technology will scale to the largest aircraft in cargo service worldwide, Aerolane’s commercialization pathway is starting with agreements with cargo airline fleets operating regional turboprops in the US and adjacent geographies. In 2027, Aerolane’s aerotowing conversion system will be established into operations with one of these partners. Dr. Manning is playing a key role in shaping the implementation of this program, which requires:
“Aircraft are complex, integrated systems and long-term programs that must be carefully launched, managed, and sustained to deliver value for customers while meeting the highest standards of safety, reliability, and operational performance,” said Aerolane Senior Advisor Dr. Valerie Manning.
She adds, “Modern aerotowing has exited the science stage, and is now in the midst of the commercialization stage. This is one of the most exciting potential changes to the way we fly - and could entirely reshape commercial and defense aviation. I’m excited to help Aerolane define its path to market.”
About Dr. Valerie Manning
Dr. Valerie Manning is an aerospace executive, engineer, and aviator with extensive experience integrating complex aircraft and aviation services into customer operations. During nearly two decades at Airbus, she served in global senior leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Customer Support, Senior Vice President of Training & Flight Operations Services, and Vice President of Upgrade Services. Her responsibilities encompassed Airbus’s in-service relationships with airlines, lessors, suppliers and MROs worldwide.
Dr. Manning subsequently served as Chief Commercial Officer of Overair, where she led the development and execution of the eVTOL company’s commercial strategy, product requirements, business development, government affairs, operations, and in-service support model. She is a retired United States Air Force officer, where she served a full career in both active duty and reserves. Prior to Airbus, she was at the aerospace practice of McKinsey & Company.
Dr. Manning earned a B.S. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. She is an active commercial pilot and flight instructor certificated by both the FAA and the EASA.
About Aerolane
Aerolane is improving the capabilities of every aircraft by expanding their payload and range capacity while significantly reducing their effective operating cost. It does so through aerotowing, a teamed flight configuration where one plane can tow multiple others.
First proven for mass cargo operations in World War II, aerotowing is an established flight technique that Aerolane has spent years refining in test flights over much of the American South.
Aerolane’s Aerocart family of systems modernizes this technique to be deployable in commercial airlines and defense applications. Aerolane’s technologies allow aerotowing’s breakthrough capability and economic impact to be implemented with the highest levels of operational reliability and safety.
