Privacy Notice
Last updated: 5 November 2026
This notice explains what personal information Portal Aviation Limited collects when you use our website, send us an enquiry, apply for membership or buy from us, and what we do with it. We are the data controller for this information under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).
Who we are
Portal Aviation Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company no. 17507844), a CAA Declared Training Organisation (GBR.DTO.0416), based at Rochester Airport, Maidstone Road, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9SD. For anything about your personal information, email [email protected].
What we collect
- Enquiries: your name, email address, phone number (if you give it) and your message.
- Membership applications: your name, title, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, emergency contact details, membership and payment preferences, pilot licence details, medical certificate class, your answers to the declarations, whether you consent to photos and video, and your typed signature. For under 18s, the name and typed signature of a parent or guardian.
- Signature records: when you send an application we record the date and time, your IP address and the browser or device you used, so we can show the application was signed by you.
- Purchases: your name, email address, what you bought, and any gift recipient's name, email address and message. Card payments are taken by SumUp: we never see or store your full card details.
- Website use: if you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics collects information about how you use the site. See our Cookie Policy.
Your medical certificate class is health information, which the law treats as special category data. We only ask for the class of certificate you hold, not any medical details, and we use it only to check you can fly safely and legally.
If you give us details of someone else, such as an emergency contact or a gift recipient, please make sure they are happy for you to share them.
Why we use it, and our legal basis
| What we do | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Reply to your enquiry | Legitimate interests (answering people who contact us), or steps before a contract |
| Consider your membership application, run your membership and arrange payment | Contract, or steps before entering one |
| Training records and records we must keep as a Declared Training Organisation | Legal obligation |
| Check your licence and medical certificate class for safe and legal flying | Legal obligation and legitimate interests (flight safety); for health information, your explicit consent given on the application form, and our obligations under aviation law |
| Contact your emergency contact if something happens to you | Vital interests and legitimate interests (safety) |
| Keep a record that you signed your application | Legitimate interests (proving the agreement), and contract |
| Sell and send you vouchers, flights and gift codes | Contract |
| Use photos or video of you in our marketing | Consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
| Website analytics | Consent, through the cookie banner |
| Accounting and tax records | Legal obligation |
We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for automated decision making.
Who we share it with
We only share your information with companies that help us run our services, under contracts that require them to protect it:
- Netlify, which hosts our website and receives the forms you send.
- Microsoft (Microsoft 365), which we use for email and documents.
- SumUp, which takes card payments.
- Google, for Firebase (where we keep order and voucher records) and, only if you accept cookies, Google Analytics.
We may also share information when the law requires it, for example with the Civil Aviation Authority, or with emergency services if you are hurt.
Some of these companies may store information outside the UK, including in the United States. Where they do, the transfer is protected by safeguards approved under UK law, such as the UK-US data bridge or UK standard contract terms.
How long we keep it
We keep your information only for as long as we need it for the reasons above, including any time we must keep records by law, for accounting or under aviation rules. After that we delete it securely. If you withdraw consent for photos and video, we stop using them.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct information that is wrong;
- ask us to delete your information, or to stop or limit how we use it;
- object to us using it on the basis of legitimate interests;
- withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent;
- ask for your information in a format you can take elsewhere.
Some rights only apply in certain situations, and we may need to keep some records by law. To use any of these rights, email [email protected]. We will reply within one month.
Keeping it safe
Access to your information is limited to staff who need it, using accounts protected by sign-in. Forms are sent over an encrypted connection.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this notice
We may update this notice from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed.