Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

AviPrep is operated by Invictus Labs LLC ("we," "our," or "us"). AviPrep is an online marketplace that connects student pilots and aviation learners with independent flight instructors, flight schools, aircraft operators, and related aviation professionals. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform, including our website and services (collectively, the "Service").

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

We collect information that you provide directly to us, including:

• Account and profile information: Name, email address, phone number, profile photo, and account credentials
• Payment information: Payment card details and billing information, processed securely through our third-party payment processor (Stripe). We do not store your full card number on our servers.
• Booking information: Lesson preferences, session selections, booking history, student goals, lesson format preferences (remote or in-person), and class confirmations
• Provider information (instructors and schools): FAA certificates and ratings, teaching specialties, experience, pricing, airport codes, aircraft types and rental rates, teaching mode (remote, in-person, or both), availability schedules, discovery flight details, and professional background
• Discovery flight requests: Preferred dates, notes, and contact information submitted when requesting a discovery flight
• Communications: Messages between students and instructors, support inquiries, feedback, waitlist entries, and contact form submissions
• Affiliate information: Referral codes, payout details, and referral activity for participants in our affiliate program

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you use our Service, we may automatically collect:

• Device information: Device type, operating system, browser type, screen resolution
• Usage data: Pages visited, features used, buttons clicked, time spent, and navigation patterns
• Network information: IP address, approximate geographic location, and internet service provider
• Cookies and tracking technologies: We use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies for analytics and site functionality. See Section 8 for details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, maintain, and improve the Service
• Facilitate bookings and connect students with Providers (instructors, flight schools, aircraft operators)
• Process payments, refunds, and payouts
• Send transactional communications, including booking confirmations, class reminders, join links, and waitlist notifications
• Send administrative messages, service updates, and support communications
• Personalize your experience, including suggesting instructors and classes relevant to your location and preferences
• Monitor and analyze usage patterns, trends, and site performance
• Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and technical issues
• Comply with legal obligations, enforce our Terms of Service, and protect our rights and safety

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With Providers: When you book a lesson, request a discovery flight, or join a waitlist, we share your name, email, contact information, and booking details with the relevant instructor, flight school, or aircraft operator so they can provide the service. Providers may also see student goals and lesson preferences you submit.
• With Students: Provider profile information, including name, certifications, specialties, pricing, availability, airport codes, and aircraft types, is displayed publicly on the Service to help students make informed decisions.
• Payment processors: We share transaction details with Stripe, our payment processor, to process payments and payouts. Stripe's use of your data is governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy.
• Analytics providers: We use Google Analytics to understand how users interact with the Service. Google may collect information about your use of the Service through cookies and similar technologies.
• Email service providers: We use third-party email services to send transactional and administrative emails on our behalf.
• Infrastructure providers: We use Firebase (Google Cloud) for authentication, data storage, and hosting. Your data is processed and stored on Google Cloud infrastructure.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or in response to valid requests by public authorities (including law enforcement or the FAA).
• Business transfers: Information may be transferred in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets. We will notify you of any such change.
• Safety and enforcement: We may disclose information when we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our Terms, illegal activities, fraud, or situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person.
• With your consent: We may share information for any other purpose disclosed to you with your consent.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Service. We may also retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and for legitimate business purposes.

Specific retention periods:

• Account data: Retained while your account is active and for up to 2 years after account deletion or last activity, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
• Booking and transaction records: Retained for at least 7 years for tax, accounting, and legal compliance purposes.
• Communications: Retained for up to 3 years after your last interaction.
• Analytics data: Aggregated and anonymized analytics data may be retained indefinitely.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL), secure authentication through Firebase, and PCI-compliant payment processing through Stripe. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Opt-out of marketing: Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link in the email. Note that you will continue to receive transactional emails related to your bookings and account.
• Cookie controls: Manage cookies through your browser settings or opt out of analytics tracking

To exercise these rights, please contact us at alex@aviprep.net. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

7.1 California Residents

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and its amendments provide you with additional rights, including:

• Right to know: You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, our purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
• Right to delete: You may request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to exceptions.
• Right to opt-out of sale or sharing: We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To submit a CCPA request, email alex@aviprep.net with "CCPA Request" in the subject line.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following types of cookies and tracking technologies:

• Essential cookies: Required for the Service to function, including authentication (Firebase) and session management. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized usage data and understand how visitors use the Service. You can opt out by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
• Advertising cookies: We may use Google Ads conversion tracking to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. These cookies do not store personally identifiable information.

Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can set your browser to refuse all or some cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable cookies, some features of the Service may not function properly.

We do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals, as there is no industry standard for how to do so. If a standard is established, we will update this policy.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. Booking lessons and processing payments require entering into a binding agreement, which requires you to be at least 18 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at alex@aviprep.net, and we will take steps to delete that information.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country of residence. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other jurisdictions as described in this Privacy Policy.

11. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites, applications, or services, including instructor websites, flight school websites, video conferencing tools, and partner services. This Privacy Policy applies only to the Service. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with any information.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. For material changes that affect how we use your personal information, we will also notify you by email. Your continued use of the Service after such modifications constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: