Built by a Pilot Who Couldn’t Afford the Alternative
Crew Dog Electronics was born out of frustration — and a dining room table.
Sean spent over a decade in the U.S. Air Force flying KC-10 tankers, completing roughly 200 combat missions before transitioning to the airlines. Between military service and flight instructing in Hawaii, he discovered the Stratux open-source project — a community-built ADS-B receiver that could display traffic, weather, GPS, and attitude data on any tablet running an electronic flight bag app.
There was just one problem: building one from parts wasn’t for everyone, and the commercial alternatives cost $500 to $1,000. That didn’t sit right.
“ADS-B is a public resource and should be available to anybody at a price they can afford.”
So Sean started building Stratux units himself — first ten at a time on his dining room table, hand-tested, carefully assembled. He worked with the open-source development community to refine the hardware, optimize antenna placement, and make the setup process dead simple. Then he put them on Amazon.
They went to #1.
Why “Crew Dog”?
“Crew dog” is military slang. It’s what enlisted aircrew call themselves — the folks who actually do the work, keep the planes flying, and don’t take themselves too seriously. The name says everything about this company: no corporate polish, no marketing hype. Just a well-built product made by someone who actually flies.
What Makes Us Different
Open source. The Stratux software is free and community-developed. That means your receiver gets better over time as developers around the world contribute improvements. No vendor lock-in. No forced obsolescence.
Repairable. Every component in a Crew Dog Stratux can be replaced by you. Antenna connector loose after years of cockpit vibration? Open it up, reseat the connection, fly again. Try that with a sealed Sentry. We believe in your right to repair the gear you own.
Affordable. A pre-built, tested, ready-to-fly Stratux starts at $379. That’s real weather, real traffic, real GPS, and AHRS — at a fraction of what the sealed alternatives charge.
Veteran-owned. This company exists because a military pilot thought every aviator deserved access to safety technology, regardless of budget. That mission hasn’t changed.
By Pilots, For Pilots
Sean still flies the line as a widebody captain. Crew Dog isn’t a tech startup chasing the next round of funding — it’s a pilot’s side project that grew into something real because the product actually works and the community actually cares.
We’ve been featured in Aviation International News, EAA AirVenture Today, and interviewed on podcasts including Why We Fly, Simple Flight Radio, Airline Pilot Guy, and Uncontrolled Airspace.
Got questions? Hit us up on Discord or through our support center. We’re actual humans who actually fly.