Privacy Policy
How we collect, use, and protect your information
1. Data Controller
AviationRef.com is operated as an independent educational aviation reference website. For the purposes of the UK GDPR and EU GDPR, the data controller is:
- Website
- AviationRef.com
- Contact
- Via our Contact page
- Established
- United Kingdom
- Nature of site
- Free educational aviation reference resource, advertising-supported
As a small independent publisher, we do not have a designated Data Protection Officer (DPO), but all data enquiries are handled directly and promptly. Contact us via the Contact page for any privacy-related request.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit AviationRef.com, the following information may be collected automatically by our analytics and advertising systems:
- IP address (used to derive approximate geographic location at country/region level — not stored in identifiable form by us)
- Browser type, version, language, and operating system
- Pages visited, time spent on each page, and navigation path
- Referring website URL (the site you came from)
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet) and screen resolution
- Date and time of your visit
This information is collected by Google Analytics (where you have consented to analytics cookies) and is processed in an aggregated, pseudonymous form.
2.2 Information Collected via Cookies & Similar Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies (including localStorage) to operate the site and, where consent is given, to serve personalised advertisements and analyse traffic. Full details are in Section 5 — Cookie Declaration.
2.3 Information You Provide Voluntarily
If you contact us via our Contact page (powered by Formspree), you provide:
- Your name
- Your email address
- The content of your message
This information is used only to respond to your enquiry. We do not add you to any mailing list or share your contact details with third parties. Formspree’s own privacy policy applies to the submission of contact forms.
2.4 What We Do Not Collect
We do not collect payment information, passwords, social media credentials, precise GPS location, or sensitive personal data as defined under GDPR Article 9 (health, religion, political opinion, etc.).
3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)
For visitors from the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom, we process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under UK/EU GDPR Article 6. The table below maps each processing activity to its legal basis.
| Processing Activity | Legal Basis | GDPR Article 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Serving the website and maintaining site security | Legitimate Interests | Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Storing your cookie consent preference (localStorage) | Legitimate Interests | Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Google Analytics — traffic analysis and site improvement | Art. 6(1)(a) | |
| Google AdSense — personalised advertising | Art. 6(1)(a) | |
| Processing contact form enquiries | Contract / Pre-contract | Art. 6(1)(b) |
| Complying with legal obligations | Legal Obligation | Art. 6(1)(c) |
Consent is freely given and easily withdrawn. Where we rely on consent (analytics and advertising cookies), you can withdraw it at any time using our consent manager. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
4. How We Use Your Information
- To deliver aviation reference content and operate the website reliably
- To analyse aggregated traffic patterns and improve page content, structure, and relevance
- To serve advertisements that fund the free provision of this site
- To respond to enquiries submitted via the Contact page
- To detect and prevent abuse, fraud, or security threats
- To comply with applicable laws and regulations
We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.
5. Cookie Declaration
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. We also use the browser’s localStorage API to store your consent preferences. The table below is our full cookie declaration, updated to reflect all cookies in active use on AviationRef.com.
5.1 Essential Cookies
Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the site to function. They do not require consent under UK/EU GDPR.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
cookieConsent | AviationRef.com | Stores your cookie consent preferences (JSON object recording essential/analytics/advertising choices) so the banner is not shown on every page load | localStorage | Persistent (until browser storage is cleared) |
5.2 Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the site. These cookies are only set after you consent. You can withdraw consent at any time.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Registers a unique ID used to generate statistical data on how you use the website. Distinguishes individual users. | HTTP Cookie | 2 years |
_ga_[ID] | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state and count page views in a session. | HTTP Cookie | 2 years |
_gid | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Registers a unique ID used to generate statistical data on how you use the website. Resets daily. | HTTP Cookie | 24 hours |
_gat | Google Analytics (Google LLC) | Used to throttle request rate. Limits data collection on high-traffic sites. | HTTP Cookie | 1 minute |
Google Analytics data is processed under Google’s privacy policy. Google acts as a data processor on our behalf. Analytics data is retained for 26 months within Google Analytics, which is the minimum supported retention period.
5.3 Advertising Cookies
Advertising cookies are used to serve personalised advertisements via Google AdSense. These cookies are only set after you consent to advertising cookies. Non-personalised ads are served where consent is not given.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
IDE | Google DoubleClick (Google LLC) | Used by Google DoubleClick to register and report the website user’s actions after viewing or clicking one of the advertiser’s advertisements, with the purpose of measuring the efficacy of an ad and to present targeted ads to the user. | HTTP Cookie | 1 year |
DSID | Google (Google LLC) | Used to identify a signed-in Google user when they visit a non-Google website that has integrated Google advertising, enabling cross-site interest-based targeting. | HTTP Cookie | 2 weeks |
NID | Google (Google LLC) | Registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user’s device. Used for targeted advertising. | HTTP Cookie | 6 months |
CONSENT | Google (Google LLC) | Saves cookie consent state for the current domain. Google uses this to remember user choices and preferences around Google ads. | HTTP Cookie | 2 years |
1P_JAR | Google (Google LLC) | Collects website statistics and tracks conversion rates for Google Ads campaigns. | HTTP Cookie | 30 days |
test_cookie | Google DoubleClick (Google LLC) | Used to check if the user’s browser supports cookies. Set by DoubleClick, expires immediately after the check. | HTTP Cookie | 15 minutes |
5.4 Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You can change your cookie settings at any time. Essential cookies cannot be disabled as they are required for the site to function.
You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:
- View and delete individual cookies
- Block third-party cookies
- Block all cookies (not recommended — may break site features)
- Be notified when a cookie is set
For opt-out of Google’s personalised advertising specifically, visit Google Ad Settings or the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out.
6. Google AdSense & Advertising
AviationRef.com participates in the Google AdSense programme. Advertising revenue enables us to provide this site free of charge. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites.
Where you have given consent to advertising cookies, Google may use your browsing history across multiple websites to show you personalised ads. Where consent has not been given, only non-personalised, contextual ads (based on the page content) are served.
Google’s use of advertising data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Partner Sites policy. AviationRef.com does not control the content of advertisements served, which is determined by Google’s algorithms.
Our Google AdSense publisher ID is: ca-pub-5032115593380055.
7. International Data Transfers
AviationRef.com is operated from the United Kingdom. Our third-party service providers — Google Analytics and Google AdSense — are operated by Google LLC, headquartered in the United States. By using this site, your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States.
Google LLC participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and relies on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission for transfers of personal data from the EEA and UK to the United States. These mechanisms provide appropriate safeguards for your data in accordance with GDPR requirements.
Contact form submissions are processed by Formspree, Inc., which is also US-based and uses SCCs for transatlantic transfers.
8. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics data | 26 months | Set to minimum supported retention in GA4 settings |
| Contact form submissions | Up to 12 months | Retained only as long as needed to address the enquiry |
| Cookie consent preference | Until browser storage cleared | Stored in localStorage on your device; not sent to our servers |
| Advertising cookies (Google) | Up to 2 years | Set and managed by Google; see Google’s own retention policies |
| Server access logs | 30 days | Standard hosting provider logs; IP addresses are pseudonymised |
9. Your Rights — GDPR (EEA & UK)
If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have the following rights under the GDPR and UK GDPR with respect to your personal data:
Right of Access
Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Article 15).
Right to Rectification
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data (Article 16).
Right to Erasure
Request deletion of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”) where there is no overriding legitimate reason for continued processing (Article 17).
Right to Restrict Processing
Request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances (Article 18).
Right to Data Portability
Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format where processing is based on consent or contract (Article 20).
Right to Object
Object to processing based on legitimate interests at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation (Article 21).
Right to Withdraw Consent
Withdraw consent for analytics/advertising cookies at any time without affecting prior lawful processing. Clear your browser’s localStorage or use your browser’s cookie controls.
Rights re: Automated Decisions
Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you (Article 22). We do not use automated decision-making of this kind.
Supervisory Authority
If you are a UK resident and believe we have not handled your data in compliance with UK GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Helpline: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
If you are in an EU member state, you may lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority (DPA). A list of EU DPAs is available at edpb.europa.eu.
We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you approach a supervisory authority. Please contact us in the first instance.
10. Your Rights — CCPA (California Residents)
AviationRef.com does not sell or share personal information. We do not sell your personal data to third parties for monetary consideration. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), we still provide the following disclosures and rights.
10.1 Categories of Personal Information Collected
| Category (CCPA) | Examples | Collected? | Sold or Shared? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | IP address, device ID, browser ID (via Google Analytics/AdSense cookies) | Yes — via third-party cookies where consented | No |
| Internet or Electronic Network Activity | Pages visited, time on site, referring URL, device and browser type | Yes — via Google Analytics where consented | No |
| Geolocation Data | Country/region (approximate, derived from IP) | Yes — coarse level only, via Google Analytics | No |
| Commercial Information | Purchase history, transactions | No | No |
| Sensitive Personal Information | Health, race, religion, financial info | No | No |
| Biometric Information | Fingerprints, face scans | No | No |
10.2 CCPA Rights
- Right to Know — You may request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months.
- Right to Delete — You may request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions.
- Right to Correct — You may request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing — AviationRef.com does not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. You may still submit a Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information request.
- Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information — We do not collect or use sensitive personal information, so this right is not applicable.
- Right to Non-Discrimination — We will not discriminate against you for exercising any CCPA rights.
10.3 Submitting a CCPA Request
To submit any of the above requests, please use our Contact page or the dedicated Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information page. We will respond within 45 days.
You may also opt out of interest-based advertising served by Google by visiting optout.aboutads.info.
11. Third-Party Links
AviationRef.com contains links to external websites, including official aviation authorities such as the FAA, EASA, ICAO, CAA, and NATS. These links are provided for reference and convenience only. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit via links from AviationRef.com.
12. Children’s Privacy
AviationRef.com is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in some EU member states). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages. Google AdSense on this site is not configured for child-directed content.
If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page indicates when this policy was last revised.
Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to draw them to your attention. Your continued use of AviationRef.com following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
14. Contact & Complaints
For any privacy-related enquiry, request to exercise a data right, or question about this policy, please use our Contact page. We aim to respond to all requests within 30 days (or 45 days where extended response time is permitted under applicable law).
Please include as much relevant detail as possible in your request so we can address it efficiently. We may need to verify your identity before disclosing or deleting personal information.