General Information
NextSimFlight.com is a private, non-commercial hobby project that provides flight simulation tools and information. We take your privacy seriously and process personal data only as described here, in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Controller & Data Protection Officer
The controller within the meaning of Art. 4(7) GDPR is:
Gergely Kovacs, NextSimFlight.com
Email: nextsimflight@gmail.com
Further contact details: see the Imprint
Designated data protection officer (DPO): Gergely Kovacs, reachable at nextsimflight@gmail.com with the subject "Privacy". Use this address for every request about your data, including the rights listed below.
Account Information
When you create an account on NextSimFlight.com, we collect and store the following information via Supabase:
Account Data
We collect and store:
- Your email address (used for account verification and communications)
- Your display name (which appears in your profile)
- Account creation date
- Saved routes and favorites
- Your route history: the departure and arrival of routes you open on the map while signed in, with aircraft, flight time, distance and where you opened them (for example from a suggestion)
- Your My Hub settings: home base, aircraft, typical session length, whether you fly on VATSIM, experience, the layout of My Hub, and your feedback on suggestions ("Not for me")
Sign in with Google or VATSIM
You can create an account and sign in with an email address and password or with Google. We are introducing sign-in with VATSIM (VATSIM Connect) as a further option; the following applies as soon as it is available. We never see your Google or VATSIM password.
Google: Google tells us your email address and name; we store them as your account data.
VATSIM Connect (upcoming): when you choose "Sign in with VATSIM", you are sent to auth.vatsim.net and approve the data release there. VATSIM then tells us your VATSIM ID (CID), your full name and your email address. We do not request your country, your ratings or your division. We use these data only to create and recognise your account and to show your name. We do not pass them on, do not sell them and do not use them for advertising. The access token we receive is used once during sign-in and is not stored.
Legal basis: performance of the contract to provide your account (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). VATSIM is a separate controller for the data it holds about you - see the VATSIM privacy policy.
Route history and suggestions
My Hub uses your route history and favourites to suggest flights. You can delete single entries or clear the whole history under "History" in My Hub, and switch off "Use my search history for suggestions" under "Home base & fleet" - then no routes are stored. Nothing is stored for visitors who are not signed in.
To write the suggestion texts, weather summaries and to read a typed request, anonymised flight data (airports, weather, flight times, your typed request) is sent to Google Gemini. Your name, email address and account ID are never sent.
Analytics & Tracking
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to analyze website usage and improve our services. This helps us understand which airports are popular or identify technical issues.
Privacy Measures
- IP Anonymization: Your IP address is masked by Google within the EU/EEA.
- Consent: Analytics are only active if you explicitly clicked "Accept" in our cookie banner.
- Data Retention: User-level data is automatically deleted after 14 months.
Cookie Preferences
If you wish to change your decision regarding tracking cookies, you can reset your settings here. This will clear your saved preference and reload the page to show the cookie banner again.
Ko-fi Donations
Our website includes a Ko-fi button for voluntary donations. When using Ko-fi, the following data processing occurs:
Ko-fi Data Processing
- Your chosen display name on Ko-fi
- Your email address (for payment confirmation)
- Payment information (processed by PayPal or Stripe directly)
Purposes & Legal Bases
- Account, saved routes, favourites, My Hub, route history - to provide the features you use (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, contract).
- Server logs and security (IP address, time, requested page, technical errors, abuse protection) - to run and protect the website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, legitimate interest).
- Google Analytics - only after your consent in the cookie banner (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw it at any time with the button above; withdrawal does not affect earlier processing.
- Contact and support messages - to answer you (Art. 6(1)(b) or (f) GDPR).
- Browser storage (localStorage) for settings such as theme, units, last search or last route is stored only on your device and is needed for the function you asked for.
We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
Recipients & Service Providers
We use the following service providers (processors) and pass data to them only as needed for their service:
- Supabase - database and authentication (account data, saved routes, history).
- Vercel - hosting and delivery of the website (server logs, IP addresses).
- Resend - sending account emails such as verification and password reset.
- Google - Sign in with Google, Google Analytics (with consent) and Google Gemini (anonymised flight data only, see above).
- VATSIM - sign-in with VATSIM Connect (see above).
- Ko-fi (with PayPal/Stripe) - only if you donate.
- Map, weather and aviation data sources that your browser or our server contacts to show maps and data - your IP address is visible to them like on any website.
Where a provider processes data outside the EU/EEA, this is based on an adequacy decision or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses of that provider. We do not sell personal data.
Storage Period
- Account data, saved routes, favourites and My Hub settings: until you delete your account.
- Route history: until you delete entries, clear the history or delete your account; you can switch the history off at any time.
- Google Analytics user-level data: 14 months.
- Server logs: for a short period at our hosting provider, only for operation and security.
- Support messages: as long as needed to answer you and for documentation, then deleted.
Data Storage & Security
We use Supabase for secure user authentication and data storage. Your account information is protected using industry-standard encryption in transit and access controls.
Your Rights under the GDPR
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access (Art. 15) - confirmation whether we process your data and a copy of it.
- Rectification (Art. 16) - correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure (Art. 17) - deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
- Restriction of processing (Art. 18).
- Data portability (Art. 20) - your data in a structured, common, machine-readable format.
- Objection (Art. 21) - to processing based on legitimate interest, on grounds relating to your situation.
- Withdrawal of consent (Art. 7(3)) - at any time, with effect for the future.
- Complaint (Art. 77) - with a supervisory authority, in particular in the EU/EEA member state of your habitual residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement.
You can export your data and delete your account yourself on your profile page (signed in). For everything else, write to the data protection officer at nextsimflight@gmail.com. We answer without undue delay and at the latest within one month (Art. 12(3) GDPR). Providing personal data is voluntary; without an account you can use the public tools of the website.
Contact for Privacy Concerns
Data protection officer and controller: Gergely Kovacs, nextsimflight@gmail.com, or via our contact page.