When Steve Austin decided Stoneykirk Aviation Museum needed a proper website, he wasn't looking for anything elaborate — he wanted something professional, something he could keep fresh without a technical headache, and something that did justice to his museum's collection. What he didn't expect was to have the whole thing live by the end of one evening.
About Stoneykirk Aviation Museum
Stoneykirk Aviation Museum tells the story of post-war aviation with a strong focus on the technology behind the aircraft. Crucially, the museum is designed for everyone — you don't need to be an aviation enthusiast to walk in and leave impressed. From curious kids to retired engineers, the museum aims to make aviation history accessible and engaging for any visitor.
Steve Austin, the museum's owner, wears many hats. Running a specialist attraction means he's as likely to be greeting visitors or sourcing artefacts as he is sitting behind a computer — which made maintaining a reliable, professional web presence all the more important.
The Challenge: A Professional Website That's Actually Easy to Maintain
Steve's previous website worked, technically — but maintaining it was a recurring frustration. Every update meant reaching for FTP clients, wrestling with connection issues, and spending far more time than the task deserved.
The old way was slow and unreliable
A straightforward content update — changing an opening time, adding a news item — would routinely eat up around 20 minutes. Not because the change was complicated, but because the tooling made it that way. FTP clients would throw errors. Files would need careful handling. What should have been a two-minute job became a minor ordeal.
Mainstream builders didn't quite fit
Steve looked at the well-known website builders. Some were overloaded with options that added complexity without adding value. Others had meaningful limitations on what you could actually do — or came with pricing and terms that felt like a trap. None of them felt like a good fit for a small, specialist museum with straightforward needs.
Why Steve Chose Solo
Solo offered something the mainstream builders didn't: a clean, capable tool without the baggage. No unnecessary complexity. No restrictive terms. Just a straightforward way to build and manage a professional website.
"Some of the other mainstream website builders were overly complicated, limited in functionality and often had strings attached. Solo gave me exactly what I needed."
— Steve Austin, Owner, Stoneykirk Aviation Museum
From zero to live in a single evening
Once Steve had gathered his photos and written up his content, building the site took one evening. Not a weekend. Not a series of late nights. One evening. That kind of speed matters when you're running a business and time is always short.
Updates that used to take 20 minutes now take one
After launch, the improvement in Steve's day-to-day experience was immediate. The workflow that used to involve FTP clients, connection problems, and 20-minute blocks of time is now a one-minute task inside Solo. Same result. A fraction of the effort.
The Results
The impact Steve describes comes down to two things: credibility and time.
- Professional appearance: The site gives the museum a credible, polished presence online — the kind of first impression that matters when potential visitors are deciding whether to make the trip.
- Time saved on every update: What previously took roughly 20 minutes now takes about one. For a museum owner juggling multiple responsibilities, that's a meaningful return every single time something needs changing.
- No more FTP headaches: The frustrating, error-prone update process is gone entirely. Solo's built-in editing tools handle everything in the browser.
- Built in one evening: The speed of the initial build meant Steve was up and running without a prolonged project hanging over him.
"Solo gives a professional shop window to my museum that was easy to create and maintain."
— Steve Austin, Owner, Stoneykirk Aviation Museum
You can see the result for yourself at stoneykirkaviationmuseum.co.uk.
Want to Launch Your Website?
If you've been putting off building a proper website because it feels like too much work — or you're stuck with an old site that's become a chore to update — Solo is built for exactly that situation. You bring the content; Solo handles the rest. No FTP clients. No steep learning curve. No strings attached.
Create Your Website and see how quickly you can have something live.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to build a website with Solo?
That depends on how much content you have ready. Steve Austin had the Stoneykirk Aviation Museum website live in a single evening once he'd gathered his photos and written up his information. Having your content prepared before you start is the biggest time-saver.
Do I need technical skills to use Solo?
No. Solo is built for people who want a professional website without needing to learn web development. There's no coding, no FTP, and no server management involved.
Can I update my Solo website myself after it's built?
Yes — and that's one of the things Solo customers mention most. Steve went from 20-minute FTP-based updates to one-minute edits directly in Solo. Changes are fast, straightforward, and don't require any technical knowledge.
Is Solo suitable for small or specialist businesses?
Absolutely. Solo works particularly well for small businesses, sole traders, and niche organisations — like a specialist museum — where you need a professional result without the overhead of a complicated platform or a web developer on call.
What makes Solo different from other website builders?
Solo focuses on giving you what you actually need: a professional-looking website that's fast to build and easy to maintain, without unnecessary complexity or restrictive terms. As Steve put it, some mainstream builders are "overly complicated, limited in functionality and often had strings attached" — Solo avoids all of that.
