Stralis Aircraft: Emission free hydrogen electric aircraft

Emission free hydrogen electric aircraft

Our planes fly 10 times further than battery electric alternatives, with a lower operating cost than fossil fuel powered aircraft. Our first product is a 15 seat aircraft with a range of 800 km that enters service in 2026 with launch customer Skytrans. Our team has over 85 years of aerospace experience and have developed, flight tested and certified aircraft at Google X, magniX, Heart Aerospace, Ampaire, Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Gulfstream. We have $145M in aircraft LOIs from 7 airlines in the US, Europe and Australia.

Active Founders

Bob Criner

Founder

Bob is Co-Founder & CEO of Stralis Aircraft, where he uses his extensive international aerospace experience to drive company strategy and aircraft product development. He previously supported leading emission free aircraft projects at Heart Aerospace, Ampaire, magniX and Google X, combining a strong passion for sustainability with technical engineering skills. Born in Nashville, TN, he moved to Australia at 10 and studied Aerospace Engineering at UNSW in Sydney.

Bob Criner

Founder

Bob is Co-Founder & CEO of Stralis Aircraft, where he uses his extensive international aerospace experience to drive company strategy and aircraft product development. He previously supported leading emission free aircraft projects at Heart Aerospace, Ampaire, magniX and Google X, combining a strong passion for sustainability with technical engineering skills. Born in Nashville, TN, he moved to Australia at 10 and studied Aerospace Engineering at UNSW in Sydney.

Stuart Johnstone

Founder

Stuart is co-founder and CTO at Stralis Aircraft and is leading the development of their lightweight hydrogen electric propulsion system. Stuart started his career in engineering working on superconducting magnets for MRI and scientific applications. This multidisciplinary experience along with an MSci in Physics from University of Glasgow gave him the tools to tackle novel and interesting engineering problems that can impact the planet for the better.

Stuart Johnstone

Founder

Stuart is co-founder and CTO at Stralis Aircraft and is leading the development of their lightweight hydrogen electric propulsion system. Stuart started his career in engineering working on superconducting magnets for MRI and scientific applications. This multidisciplinary experience along with an MSci in Physics from University of Glasgow gave him the tools to tackle novel and interesting engineering problems that can impact the planet for the better.

Company Launches

Stralis 🛫 - Emission free hydrogen electric aircraft

See original launch post

Hi! We’re Bob & Stuart from Stralis Aircraft in Australia. We make emission free hydrogen electric aircraft to help decarbonise air travel. We have $50M in LOIs for our launch product, a 15 seat aircraft with a range of 800 km that enters service in 2026 with launch customer Skytrans.

Ask: 🙏 Intros to airlines or aircraft operators that might be interested in our products would be greatly appreciated. Contact: bc@stralis.aero

Problem - Alternatives Compromise on Range or Cost

As other modes of transport decarbonise, aviation’s contribution to global emissions will increase. Based on our first hand experience, we believe other sustainable flight alternatives compromise on:

Battery Electric - limited range & payload
Hybrid Electric - expensive to operate, limited emission reduction
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) - expensive & emits other harmful pollutants (NOx, sulphates, particulates)

Solution - Hydrogen Electric Propulsion

We're convinced hydrogen electric is the cheapest way to rapidly decarbonise 50% of commercial flights.

How it works - Green hydrogen and air are combined in a fuel cell stack to produce electric power, which is used by an electric motor to turn a propeller. The only thing emitted during this process is water.
Our proprietary hydrogen electric propulsion system is 35% lighter than the competition, unlocking useful aircraft ranges at low cost.
Our first product is a retrofit of an already certified aircraft, allowing us to get to market quicker and cheaper.
We plan to deliver 50,000 of our 48 seat SA-1 aircraft by 2050, generating $850B in revenue.

Our Backstory

We met in 2017 at magniX, leading teams developing electric aircraft propulsion systems for the world’s first battery powered eBeaver and eCaravan flights. The Stralis team has 85 years of aerospace experience, having developed, flight tested and certified aircraft at GoogleX, Heart Aerospace (YC W19), Ampaire, Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Gulfstream. Now we’re on a mission to make Stralis the world’s leading emission free aircraft company. Spread the good word!

YC Photos

YC Winter 2023 Application Video