This Privacy Policy explains how Pilot Checks, LLC (“we” or “us”) collects, uses, stores, and discloses your information when you use our website and scheduling services. We value your privacy and aim to be transparent about our data practices. By using the site, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

Personal Information You Provide: When you use our scheduling services, we will ask you to provide certain personally identifiable information. This includes, for example: your full name, email address, phone number, and other contact details; your pilot credentials or relevant identifiers (such as your FAA certificate number or FAA Tracking Number (FTN)); the type of practical test or service you are seeking; and potentially the name and contact information of your flight instructor or recommending instructor (if applicable to your test). You may also be required to upload documents such as copies of your pilot certificate, medical certificate, government-issued photo ID, logbook entries, endorsements, or other documents needed to establish your eligibility for the test. All of this information is provided by you voluntarily and is collected only if you choose to schedule a service through our site.

Automatically Collected Data: In addition to information you actively submit, our website may automatically collect certain technical data about your visit. This can include your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring website, pages viewed, and the dates/times of access. We may also use cookies or similar technologies to remember your preferences and enhance your user experience. This usage data helps us understand how the site is used and can aid in improving functionality. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but note that disabling cookies might affect some features of the site.

We do not intentionally collect any sensitive personal information beyond what is necessary for scheduling your test. Please refrain from submitting any highly sensitive data (such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, or health information) through the site, as it is not needed for our services. The most sensitive data we anticipate collecting is the personally identifying information required by the FAA (e.g., pilot certificate details or identification documents) in order to verify your qualifications.

How We Use Your Information

Pilot Checks, LLC uses the collected information for the following purposes:

• Providing and Improving Services: We use your personal information to process your scheduling requests and to facilitate the coordination of your FAA practical test or service. For example, we will use the information you provide to create an appointment request for the selected DPE, to verify that you meet prerequisites, and to manage the scheduling calendar. We also may use the information to improve our website’s functionality and user experience over time.

• Communication: We use your contact information (email, phone) to communicate with you about your appointment and our services. This includes sending confirmation messages when you request a booking, notifications or reminders as your appointment date approaches, and updates if there are any changes or actions needed (such as additional information or rescheduling requests). We may also respond to any inquiries you send via pilotcheckscolorado@gmail.com.

• Notifications and Updates: We may send you important notices regarding the services or your scheduled test — for example, changes in these Terms or Privacy Policy, notices about system downtime, or updates from the examiner. These communications are part of our service to you. We will not use your information to send you marketing emails unrelated to your checkride scheduling unless you have explicitly opted in to such communications. (For instance, we won’t spam you with general aviation promotions; communications will be limited to service-related messages, though we may on occasion send a survey or ask for feedback on your experience.)

• Compliance and Legal Obligations: We may use and retain your information as necessary to comply with legal requirements, enforce our Terms of Service, resolve disputes, or prevent fraud. For example, maintaining a record of appointments and communications may be necessary for FAA compliance audits or in case of any legal inquiries.

Overall, we limit our use of your personal data to what is relevant and necessary for the purpose of providing you with the scheduling service and supporting your FAA practical test process.

How We Share and Disclose Information

We understand the importance of keeping your information confidential. Pilot Checks, LLC does not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We only share your information in the following circumstances:

• With Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs): When you submit a scheduling request, the personal information and documents you provide are made available to the DPE you are trying to schedule with. The examiner needs this information to verify your eligibility (e.g., checking your pilot certificate details and endorsements) and to contact you about the test. The DPE will use your information only for the purposes of carrying out the FAA-authorized test and related record-keeping. By using our service, you consent to this sharing with the examiner. (Note: All FAA DPEs are bound by FAA rules to protect the integrity of applicant information; for example, they submit test results via FAA systems and handle your documents as required by FAA orders.) However, they are independent parties, not employees of Pilot Checks, so we require that they handle your data carefully but we cannot directly control their actions outside of our platform.

• With Service Providers (Third-Party Processors): Pilot Checks, LLC may use reputable third-party companies to support our website and services. For example, we might use a web hosting provider to host our database and website, an email service to send notifications, or cloud storage to securely store uploaded documents. These third-party providers will have access to your information only to the extent necessary to perform their functions (e.g., storing data or sending emails on our behalf). We require such providers to implement appropriate security measures and not to use your data for any other purposes. We do not share more information than is needed – for instance, if our site is hosted on a cloud server, your data resides on that server but the provider is not permitted to mine it or sell it.

• For Legal Reasons: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or if we have a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) comply with a legal obligation, such as a subpoena, court order, or lawful request by a government authority; (b) comply with FAA regulations or investigations (for example, if the FAA requests records of applicants scheduled through our system); (c) enforce our Terms of Service or other agreements; or (d) protect the rights, property, or safety of Pilot Checks, LLC, our users, examiners, or others. This includes exchanging information with other organizations for fraud protection or credit risk reduction if relevant. We will only disclose what is reasonably necessary in these situations.

• Business Transfers: In the unlikely event that Pilot Checks, LLC undergoes a business transition such as a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganization, or sale of assets, your personal information might be among the assets transferred. If such a transfer occurs, we will ensure that the successor entity is bound by terms similar to this Privacy Policy with respect to your personal information, and we will provide notice on our website if your data becomes subject to a new privacy policy.

External Payment Services: As noted in the Terms, our website does not handle payments directly. If in the course of scheduling you are directed to pay an examiner via an external method (for example, if an examiner uses an online payment link or you use a payment app), any information you provide in that payment process (such as credit card details or billing information) is not collected by our site. We do not see or store your financial account data. Any payment transactions are subject to the privacy policies of the third-party payment processor or the arrangements you have with the examiner. We recommend you review the relevant payment service’s privacy policy when making payments, as Pilot Checks, LLC has no control over that data collection.

Aggregation and Anonymized Data: We may aggregate or anonymize usage data (e.g., total number of tests scheduled in a month, website traffic analytics) such that it no longer identifies any individual user. We reserve the right to use and share such non-identifying data for purposes of analytics, research, or improving our service. This information will not contain personal details and is not subject to privacy restrictions since it cannot be tied back to any individual.

Data Security

We take data security seriously and implement reasonable measures designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures include technical, administrative, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the data. For instance, our website uses HTTPS encryption (SSL/TLS) to secure data in transit between your browser and our servers. Uploaded documents and personal details are stored in secure servers/environments with access controls. We also limit access to personal data to those persons (within Pilot Checks, LLC or the examiners) who have a need to know it for the purposes described above.

However, please be aware that no method of transmitting data over the internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. Cyber threats and data breaches are a risk with any online service. By using our site, you understand and accept that risk. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will comply with applicable laws in notifying you and the authorities (if required) and will take necessary steps to mitigate any harm.

Your Responsibility: You also play a role in protecting your data. Where we have given you (or you have chosen) a username and password to access certain parts of the site, you are responsible for keeping those credentials confidential. Do not share your login information with anyone. If you suspect any unauthorized access to your account or any misuse of your personal data, please contact us immediately. We will assist in securing your account and information.

Your Rights and Choices

You have certain rights regarding your personal information and how it is used. We are committed to facilitating the exercise of those rights:

• Access and Correction: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. We will provide you with a summary of that information, subject to verifying your identity. If any of your personal information is inaccurate or has changed (for example, you want to update your contact number), please inform us. We will correct any confirmed inaccuracies. Some information you may also update yourself if the website provides an account profile or similar functionality.

• Deletion (Right to Erasure): You can request that we delete the personal information we have collected about you. We will honor such requests to the extent possible; however, please note that we may need to retain certain information for legitimate business or legal reasons. For instance, if you have completed a practical test, we may retain records of that test and your details as part of our business records or to comply with FAA record-keeping requirements. We will also retain information as needed to exercise or defend legal claims. We will let you know if we are unable to fully comply with a deletion request and why (e.g., which data must be retained).

• Withdrawal of Consent: If at any time you wish to withdraw your consent for us to hold or use your personal data, you may contact us to do so. Keep in mind that withdrawal of consent will not affect any processing that has already occurred, and if you withdraw consent for necessary data before a scheduled test, we may have to cancel your appointment (since the examiner would no longer have access to required information).

• California Residents and Other Jurisdictions: If you are a resident of certain jurisdictions, you may have additional rights under local privacy laws. For example, California residents have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know what personal information has been collected about you, to request deletion of your personal information, to opt-out of the sale of personal information (note: we do not sell personal data), and to not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. Because Pilot Checks, LLC does business in Colorado, we are also mindful of the Colorado Privacy Act, which, as of July 2023, grants Colorado residents certain rights similar to CCPA. We will endeavor to honor valid requests under these laws. If any law requires us to provide additional disclosures or rights, we will update this policy accordingly and comply with those requirements.

To exercise any of your rights or make inquiries about your personal data, please contact us (see Contact section below). For your security, we may ask you to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests (such as accessing or deleting personal data) to ensure that we do not release information to an unauthorized person.

Please note that fulfilling certain requests (like deletion or withdrawing consent) may limit your ability to use the service. For example, if you request deletion of all your data while you have a pending checkride request, we would not be able to coordinate that checkride and it would effectively be canceled. We will try to clarify any implications before proceeding with your request.

Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years old. The scheduling platform is intended for use by adult pilots or student pilots who are typically at least 16 years of age or older (the minimum age for most pilot certificates). If you are under 13, you are not allowed to use this website or provide personal information. If you are between 13 and 17 (a minor in many jurisdictions) and for some reason are using this site (for instance, a 17-year-old scheduling a private pilot checkride), you should only do so with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian, and ideally with the guidance of your flight instructor. We strongly encourage that any minor pilot have a parent/guardian or instructor handle or supervise the scheduling process.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete such information from our records. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe that your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so that we can take appropriate action.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

Pilot Checks, LLC may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Reasons for updates may include changes in our services, technology, legal requirements, or business practices. When we make changes, we will post the updated policy on this page and update the Effective Date at the top. For significant changes, we may also provide a more prominent notice (such as a notification on our website or an email alert). We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of the website or our services after any changes to this Privacy Policy are posted will signify your acceptance of those changes.

If we make a material change to how we handle personal data (for example, if we were to begin collecting additional types of data or using data for new purposes not originally disclosed), we will seek your consent if required by law. Minor changes that do not substantially affect your privacy rights will be updated on the site with the revised policy.

Contact Information (Privacy)

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact us at pilotcheckscolorado@gmail.com. You may also reach out to us at the information listed on our site’s contact page. (As of the Effective Date, our business mailing address is the address of record for Pilot Checks, LLC in Colorado, USA.) We will do our best to address your inquiry promptly and thoroughly. Your privacy is important to us, and we welcome feedback or questions about our data practices.

By using the Pilot Checks, LLC website and scheduling services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and you agree to abide by all the above conditions and policies. Thank you for trusting Pilot Checks, LLC with your FAA practical test scheduling needs, and we wish you the best in your certification endeavors.