Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Flight Engineer ('Company', 'we', 'us', or 'our') collects, uses, and safeguards your information when you access or use the Flight Engineer mobile application ('the App'). Please read this privacy policy carefully.

1. Information We Collect

Creating a free account is required to access the core application suite. We collect the minimum data necessary to provide aviation telemetry services:

• Account Identity: First name, last name, email address, and authentication credentials required for account creation and support.
• Device Identifiers: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) tokens utilized to deliver opted-in operational alerts (e.g., ground stops, OOOI push notifications).
• User Preferences & Subscriptions: User-selected preferred airports, preferred airline, saved weather searches, and pinned flight plans. When you subscribe to an individual flight alert, we store the subscription using a unique flight identifier along with metadata such as the timestamp of your subscription. Furthermore, if you subscribe to a pilot's schedule, the App adds a subscription record mapped to that pilot's unique ID to your profile, and your user ID is added to a list of tracking pilots on that specific flight's document.

2. What We Do Not Collect

• We do not collect or store precise geolocation tracking data. Any location permissions requested are used exclusively on-device in real time to render positioning context on local weather radar and airport charts.
• We do not access your contacts, photos, camera, or microphone.
• We do not use advertising cookies, crash analytics trackers, or cross-site tracking technologies.
• We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with advertisers or data brokers.

3. How We Share Your Information (Third-Party Infrastructure)

We share information only with the third-party service providers we rely on to operate the App, and only to the extent necessary for them to perform their function. Each provider operates under its own privacy policy:

• Google Firebase: Database hosting (Firestore), authentication, and cloud messaging (FCM) infrastructure. Stores your account record, notification tokens, and pilot/flight subscription maps.
• Cloudflare: DNS management and edge hosting for our web peripherals.
• Resend: Transactional email delivery (e.g., welcome emails, account notifications).

Aviation data (flight plans, weather, ADS-B telemetry) is aggregated via external APIs. No personal user data is ever transmitted to these external aviation networks; queries are executed strictly via aircraft ICAO hex codes or flight identifiers.

4. On-Device Computation

All local calculation tools—including the Aviation Wind Calculator and FAR 117 Flight Duty Period / Rest Calculator—execute entirely on the local device. Inputs and outputs are processed in local memory and are never transmitted to external cloud infrastructure.

5. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. You maintain the right to request the complete deletion of your account and associated data at any time. Deletion can be initiated directly inside the application settings or externally by emailing us at contact@flightengineer.app. Executing an account deletion permanently and immediately purges all authentication tokens, email records, and database references from our active infrastructure.

6. State-Specific Privacy Rights (California, Texas & Others)

Depending on your state of residence (including California, Texas, Virginia, Colorado, and others), applicable privacy laws grant you specific rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Know & Access: You may request a copy of the specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Right to Deletion: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data, which can be executed directly within the App or by contacting us.
• Right to Correction: You may request corrections to any inaccurate personal data we hold.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sales/Sharing: We explicitly do not sell your personal information, nor do we share it for cross-context behavioral or targeted advertising. Therefore, no formal opt-out of data sales is required to protect your privacy.
• Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you (e.g., by denying services or altering functionality) for exercising any of your consumer privacy rights.

To submit a verifiable consumer request under your applicable state privacy law, please email contact@flightengineer.app. We may require you to verify your identity using the email address associated with your account before fulfilling the request.

7. International Users

The App is operated from the United States. If you access the App from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the App, you consent to that transfer.

8. Children's Privacy

The App is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to us, please contact us so we can delete it.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.