What we hold, and why.

The knowledge assessment stores answers, option order, training stage, optional self-reported confidence/recency and reports in this browser. Signed-in attempts use an account-specific browser key; this is not cross-device cloud synchronization. Anonymous attempts remain associated with this browser, so avoid using a shared device for a private record. Answers are sent to Pilot Method's server for marking; this workflow does not create an instructor endorsement or modify earlier Readiness evidence. Return-to-flying plans and comparison selections are also browser-saved where stated. Clearing site storage removes these browser copies.

JD ATLAS LLC operates The Pilot Method at https://pilotmethodaviation.com and is the controller of the data described here.

For any privacy question or request, write to fly@pilotmethodaviation.com or use the contact form.

If you create an account, we hold your email address, an authentication record managed by our hosting backend, and the profile details you choose to give — a display name and, optionally, your training stage and goal from the onboarding questions. This exists so you can sign in and so the site can show you relevant material.

If you request an instructor role, we hold that request and its review status. Platform roles are stored separately from your profile. If you publish an instructor profile, claim a flight school listing, or book a session, we hold the profile details, the claim and its evidence, and the booking record. Verification documents supplied by an instructor are private and are never shown publicly.

My Pilot Profile may save your selected goal, stage, product, session length, learner-entered target date and aircraft learning context. Every field is optional and can be cleared in Account. Do not enter medical history, FTN, certificate numbers or flight-log records. Preferences and saved Flight Decision Practice attempts are private to your account and are not automatically shared with instructors, schools or referrers. Scenario actions, seed, version, clock and debrief are study records, not proof of flight proficiency.

Opening a course may use a short-lived, one-use account handoff between Pilot Method and its learning site. Tokens are not put in the course link. A privacy receipt records your optional choices for up to 180 days; purchase records preserve the choice at checkout and any later withdrawal is respected for pending measurement. Essential acceptance records for previous purchases are not rewritten when a policy changes.

When you complete a purchase, we hold an order record and the resulting product entitlements linked to your account, so you keep access to what you bought. An optional recommendation name is stored with the exact order and is visible only to the owner, Javier; it is not sent to advertising services.

Payments are processed by Stripe. Card details are entered on Stripe's own checkout, and this site does not receive or store raw card numbers. We keep only the identifiers Stripe returns — such as a session, payment or customer reference — plus the amount, currency and status. Raw card numbers are never received or stored by us.

When you use the contact form we store the name, email address, subject and message you submit, the page you sent it from, the time you confirmed the consent checkbox, and a handling status. We use it to answer you and to keep a record of support history. We do not store your IP address, and the form is not used for marketing.

Airport favorites and recent selections can be remembered on this device only when you select that option. Clear saved airports removes those preferences. Weather requests contain airport/station identifiers, not your account identity or microphone audio; Pilot Method retrieves and caches public reports on its server. Synthetic weather reading uses the device/browser speech service, whose processing depends on the selected voice and browser.

Microphone use is optional. Browser speech recognition may transmit audio to the browser vendor's speech-service provider; it is not guaranteed to run on your device. Pilot Method does not receive that browser-recognition audio. Processing and retention depend on the browser and its provider.

When server-clip transcription is configured, signed-in users can explicitly select it. A clip of up to 30 seconds is sent through Pilot Method to OpenAI for transcription. Pilot Method does not write the raw clip to its database or file storage. This does not mean the upstream provider immediately deletes it: provider handling is governed by the applicable service policy and account configuration. You may use typed input instead.

Submitted practice transcripts, scores and session records are saved to your account when you use signed-in practice. They are separate from audio clips and remain part of your training history until deleted under our account-data process. Avoid speaking personal or sensitive information into a practice transmission.

The app uses the same account, purchases and online learning records as the website. Saved lesson links, personal study notes and downloaded guide files stay in protected app storage on your device and are excluded from device backups. They are separated by account. Signing out hides that account's saved material; Remove saved items deletes its local files. Removing the app also removes those local files.

The app's speech-recognition option uses Apple's on-device recognition when available. That option does not send microphone audio to Pilot Method or to a remote speech provider. If it is unavailable, you can type. Explicitly choosing server-clip transcription follows the separate process described above.

Optional website advertising and analytics scripts do not initialize inside the app. Checkout opens your system browser, where the website's privacy choices apply. The app does not receive or store your card details.

Essential storage keeps you signed in and remembers interactive tools and privacy choices. Optional analytics and advertising are off unless you consent and the relevant service is configured. Use Privacy choices in the footer to accept, reject, manage or withdraw; declining does not prevent an account or purchase.

Essential records operate accounts, payments and saved learning. Separately, configured Google Analytics may receive consented product and practice events; configured Meta or Google Ads may receive consented purchase measurement. The Privacy choices panel identifies enabled providers. Disabled providers receive no events. Marketing events exclude profile preferences, answers, transcripts, referral names and authentication data. Confirmed purchases, not visits to a success page, determine revenue measurement.

Our hosting and database provider stores the data on our behalf. Stripe processes payments. For online lessons, the selected instructor receives the booking details needed to provide the session, including your stated goal and relevant experience. When a connected Google Calendar/Meet integration creates a meeting, Google receives participant email addresses, the scheduled time and event details; participants can see the meeting invitation and join link. Our account and email delivery services handle authentication, access, and receipt messages when those messages are required. We do not sell personal data and we do not share learning records for advertising. Optional advertising measurement, when configured and consented to, is limited as described above.

Account, profile and entitlement data is kept while your account exists, because it is what proves your access. Contact messages are kept while they are useful as support history. Ask us through the contact form to delete data that no longer needs to be kept. We may retain purchase, acceptance, booking and support records where needed for accounting, legal obligations, fraud prevention or resolving a dispute. An instructor may separately retain training and endorsement records that aviation rules require; deleting a platform account does not erase those obligations.

To request permanent account deletion, open Account → Delete my account and confirm the request. You do not need to send an email or call support. We complete deletion within 30 days and email you when it is finished. You can cancel a pending request before processing begins. We remove your account and personal data except records we must retain for legal obligations.

Cancel membership renewal in Account to avoid a charge during processing. Any remaining renewal is stopped before the account is deleted. Account deletion is not a refund request and does not itself cancel a future online class; those can be managed under My online classes.

You can ask for a copy of your data, a correction, or deletion of your account by writing to fly@pilotmethodaviation.com or through the contact form. We will respond to the address you write from.

This notice describes our actual practice. It is not a claim of certification or of formal compliance with any specific privacy regime.

Read the archived version 1.1. Read version 1.3. When this notice changes we update the effective date at the top of the page. Material changes affecting account holders will also be shown in the account area.