What this site stores and why

Practice tests and reports

When you generate a test, the site stores a random test ID, question IDs, certificate or quiz type, progress, answers, flags, and timestamps. When you finish, it stores your score and question-by-question result. Production records may be kept in Google Cloud Storage; local development uses files on the server.

Detailed report addresses contain a long random identifier. Treat that link as private: anyone who has it may be able to open the report.

Payments and contributions

PayPal processes checkout and payment credentials. This site receives payment identifiers, status, amount, currency, and limited transaction details needed to verify and deliver a report, unlock landing-simulator hints, or record a contribution. It does not receive your full card number.

Eligible completed US-dollar purchases and contributions are associated with a pseudonymous player profile and combined into a public support tier shown beside that handle. The exact amount is not displayed. New checkouts can retain the profile reference directly; an older PayPal record can be associated with an email-verified profile by comparing the same keyed, non-reversible email digest used for account verification.

For a paid landing-hint level, the server retains the verified capture and a one-way hash of a random entitlement token. Your browser stores the corresponding token and level key. The server checks both before returning paid hints; the hints themselves are not stored in local storage. Clearing browser storage intentionally removes that browser's access, and the token cannot be reconstructed from the server's hash.

Feedback, flags, and browser storage

If you submit feedback, the message and any optional name or contact information are sent to the site administrator through the configured text-message service. A question or sectional-challenge flag records the exact item, attempt context, selected answer if available, and timestamp, and may also trigger an administrator text alert.

Starting a quiz, game, or interactive selector—or opening the searchable PHAK—sends the administrator a short text naming the activity or resource. Finishing a quiz or a game with a defined ending also sends an aggregate completion result. These alerts do not include individual answers or contact information. Open-ended selectors and the PHAK have no artificial completion event.

Training games use your browser’s local storage for values such as personal bests and history. The site also stores a random browser-generated player identifier, your temporary or established handle, your selected aviation-icon name, eligible non-beta category scores, and a server-backed participation record. Participation records identify which activities were tried or completed, aggregate attempt and completion counts, participation points, and discussion counts. Public handle profiles show that activity coverage and currently visible discussion posts. The icon is stored by its stable text name rather than a numeric catalog position. The identifier is pseudonymous and is not an account credential.

To discourage someone from reusing another visitor’s handle, the server also stores a keyed, one-way device signature derived from the browser family, operating-system family, and orientation-independent screen resolution. Browser versions and the raw browser, operating-system, and resolution values are not stored in the player record. This is a best-effort safeguard, not a substitute for verified sign-in.

Public activity discussions

Comments and replies posted on the Discuss page are public. The site stores the selected activity topic, temporary or established handle, selected aviation-icon name, plain-text comment, reply relationship, source page, and posting time. Anonymous posting is not used: a browser without an established handle receives a temporary adjective-plus-aviation handle. If you establish a handle, your browser remembers and locks it for future comments on that device.

Each browser identity may give one thumbs-up or thumbs-down vote to a comment, change that vote, or remove it by selecting the same choice again. The server stores the comment reference, pseudonymous player-profile reference, vote choice, and timestamps. Comments with at least five votes are collapsed by default when at least 75% are negative and the negative count exceeds the positive count by at least three. A visitor may still reveal the comment; strongly negative comments are omitted from homepage and page previews.

Email verification is optional. If you choose it, the site sends a one-time six-digit code through its transactional email provider. The public profile and discussion record do not store or display your email address; the server stores a keyed, non-reversible email digest, verification status, and verification timestamps so the same email can restore the handle on another browser. An existing handle cannot be reclaimed from another browser merely by confirming “this is me”; cross-browser restoration requires the email-code check.

If you request administrator help recovering a lost handle, the site privately stores the requested handle, your current browser identity reference and one-way device signature, the email address you provide, your optional explanation, the submission time, and text-notification status. That information is used only to review and respond to the recovery request; it is not displayed publicly.

The server temporarily uses ordinary request information such as the network address to enforce posting limits, but that address is not placed in the public comment record. You may delete your own comments from the Discuss page after the server confirms your browser or verified-account ownership. Deleting a comment also removes every reply beneath it so detached conversation branches are not left behind. Comments may also be removed by the administrator.

Live presence and on-site messages

While a site page is visible, the browser sends a brief heartbeat about every 30 seconds. It contains the pseudonymous player-profile reference, handle, selected aviation icon, current page path, and time last seen. This lets the site owner see who is currently using the site and offer an optional, real-time question about the experience. A visitor stops appearing as live about 90 seconds after the heartbeats stop; no precise physical location is collected for this feature.

On-site messages are stored as plain text with the pseudonymous profile reference, sender role, timestamps, and read status so a conversation can continue across page changes and server restarts. The message window identifies the site owner, can be dismissed, and can be muted for the rest of the browser session. Replying is optional.

Aircraft advertisements

The Aircraft Finder stores listing text, specifications, prices or bids, source links, publicly posted seller or auction contact details, images when republication is permitted, and the times each advertisement was observed. Only sources that provide an authorized feed, public API, or appropriate permission are enabled.

Observations are retained as historical records. An advertisement and its contact details stop appearing publicly after it is inactive or has not been verified for 90 days. Sellers and source publishers may use the contact form to request a correction or removal.

Anonymous site measurement

The site uses Google Analytics to understand page traffic and broad actions such as starting or completing a test, completing a game, flagging a question, sending feedback, purchasing a report, or making a contribution. Test type, question count, score, and transaction value may be measured, but names, contact information, individual answers, PayPal credentials, and private result addresses are not sent through this site’s analytics events.

Generated test addresses are replaced with a generic page address before measurement. Analytics runs only on the public production domains, disables Google signals and advertising-personalization signals, and honors browser Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track signals. Google may otherwise use cookies or similar browser storage to provide Analytics.

Your choices

You may use the free practice material without verifying an email, omit optional contact information, clear local browser data, and avoid purchasing an optional report. To ask about a submitted message or stored test result, use the contact form and include the relevant result or test code when available.