Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Essence Flight School LLC (“Essence Flight,” “we,” “us,” “our”), respects your privacy. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the rights you have over it. It applies to essenceflight.com and to every service we provide.

We do not sell your personal information.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Give Us

• Identifiers: name, email address, phone number, mailing address.
• Booking and training records: flights booked, lessons taken, instructor notes, logged flight time, certificates and ratings, training goals, medical or eligibility information you choose to give us.
• Aviation and regulatory information: pilot certificate number, airman certificate details, and information required for TSA or FAA compliance.
• Weight information, where required for aircraft weight-and-balance safety calculations.
• Emergency contact details.
• Payment information. Card payments are processed by our third-party payment processors. We never receive or store your full card number or CVV. We retain only the transaction record and, at most, the last four digits and card brand.
• Communications: emails, text messages, form submissions and call records.
• Signed documents: liability releases, training agreements, rental agreements.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• IP address, browser and device type, operating system.
• Pages visited, time on page, referring website, links clicked.
• Cookies, pixels and similar tracking technologies.

1.3 Sources

We collect information directly from you; automatically from your device as you use the Site; and from service providers such as our scheduling, CRM, advertising and analytics platforms.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To schedule, confirm, remind you about and deliver your flights and lessons.
• To take payment and keep billing records.
• To maintain training records and comply with FAA, TSA and other legal requirements.
• To perform aircraft weight-and-balance safety calculations.
• To answer your questions and provide customer service.
• To send you service messages, and — if you have opted in — marketing messages.
• To improve our website, services and instruction.
• To measure and target advertising on platforms such as Google and Meta.
• To detect and prevent fraud, secure our systems, and establish or defend legal claims.

3. How We Share Your Information

We share personal information only as described here:

• Service providers who work on our behalf and are bound to protect it — payment processors, scheduling and booking platforms, CRM and email/SMS providers, hosting, analytics and advertising platforms.
• FAA, TSA and other authorities where required for certification, training records, security vetting or regulatory compliance.
• Insurers, aircraft owners and lessors where necessary in connection with a flight or an incident.
• Professional advisers (lawyers, accountants, auditors).
• Where required by law, or to enforce our terms, protect our rights, or prevent fraud or harm.
• In a business transfer (merger, acquisition or sale of assets).
• With your consent.

We do not sell your personal information, and we never have.

About advertising. We use advertising and analytics cookies (including Google and Meta) that may disclose limited online identifiers to those platforms for cross-context behavioral advertising. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act this can be considered “sharing,” even though no money changes hands. You can stop it at any time — see Section 6.

Text messaging. Your SMS opt-in data and consent are never shared with any third party for their own marketing purposes.

4. Cookies And Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep the Site working, remember your preferences, measure traffic, and support advertising. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, though parts of the Site may stop working properly.

You can also opt out of interest-based advertising through the platforms directly, or via industry tools such as the Digital Advertising Alliance and Network Advertising Initiative opt-out pages.

Do Not Track

Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. There is no common industry standard for how to respond to it. Our Site does not currently respond to Do Not Track signals. We do, however, honor recognized opt-out preference signals such as Global Privacy Control (GPC), which we treat as a request to opt out of the sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising on that browser.

5. How Long We Keep It

• Training and flight records, signed releases and agreements: retained for as long as required by FAA regulation and by the applicable statutes of limitation, and generally no less than 7 years.
• Booking and payment records: retained as required by tax, accounting and card-network rules, generally 7 years.
• Marketing contact data: retained until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
• Website analytics data: retained on a rolling basis, typically no more than 26 months.

We keep information longer where we must, to comply with law or to establish or defend a legal claim.

6. Your Privacy Rights

Essence Flight School is a small business and is not currently a “business” required to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act. We extend these rights to you anyway, because we think you should have them. You may:

• Know what personal information we hold about you, and where we got it.
• Access a copy of it.
• Correct anything inaccurate.
• Delete it — subject to records we are legally required to keep, such as FAA training records and signed releases.
• Opt out of the sharing of your information for targeted advertising.
• Opt out of marketing email (unsubscribe link) and text messages (reply STOP).
• Not be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights. We will never give you worse service or a worse price because you did.

To exercise any of these: email info@essenceflight.com or call (818) 960-1285. We will verify your identity before acting, and respond within 45 days. An authorized agent may make a request for you with your written permission.

California “Shine The Light”

Under California Civil Code § 1798.83, California residents may request details of personal information we disclosed to third parties for their direct marketing purposes in the past year. We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing. To ask, contact info@essenceflight.com.

7. Data Security

We use administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect your information, and we limit access to staff who need it. Payments are handled by PCI-compliant processors. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take this seriously and we will tell you if something goes wrong in a way that affects you.

8. Children

The Site is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. We do not sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16. Where a minor trains with us, we collect their information from, and with the consent of, a parent or legal guardian. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

9. Third-Party Links

Our Site links to other websites. We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. Please read their policies.

10. Where We Operate

We operate in the United States and our service providers may store data in the United States. If you access the Site from outside the U.S., you understand your information will be processed here.

11. Changes To This Policy

We may update this policy. The “Last Updated” date above will change, and the revised policy takes effect when posted. If we make a material change, we will make reasonable efforts to tell you.

12. Contact Us

Questions, requests, or concerns about your privacy:

Essence Flight School LLC
Email: info@essenceflight.com
Phone: (818) 960-1285
7900 Balboa Blvd, Unit D3, Van Nuys, CA 91406