Managing Organization Aircraft
Summary
Aircraft in FlightSense represent the actual airplanes your school uses for training. Adding an aircraft to your organization lets instructors be authorized against it, pilots associate it with flight logs, and keeps your training records tied to the specific equipment used. The aircraft list is managed from the Admin Portal.
Who this is for
- Owners and Admins — the primary audience; add, edit, remove aircraft, and upload images
- Chief Instructors and Assistant Chiefs — can also manage aircraft records as part of their oversight of instructor authorizations
- Line instructors and students see aircraft in context (flight logs, pickers) but do not manage the fleet
If you don't see aircraft management controls, your role doesn't include fleet management.
Before you begin
Collect this information for each aircraft:
- Tail number (N-number)
- Make and model
- Year (optional but recommended for older airframes)
- Notable equipment or category (e.g., "G1000-equipped," "tailwheel," "complex")
- A photo of the aircraft (optional; improves recognizability in pilot apps)
Decide which of your published courses the aircraft will be used for. You'll authorize instructors against aircraft after adding them; see Managing Instructor Qualification Records for the authorization workflow.
Steps
1. Open the Aircraft view
From the Admin Portal sidebar, click Aircraft. The view shows every aircraft currently in your fleet as a grid of cards. Each card displays the tail number, make and model, image (if uploaded), and a status chip.
2. Add an aircraft
Click Add Aircraft in the top right. A dialog opens with these fields:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Tail Number | The FAA registration (e.g., N12345). Required. |
| Make | Manufacturer (e.g., Cessna, Piper, Cirrus). Required. |
| Model | Specific model (e.g., 172S, PA-28-181, SR22). Required. |
| Year | Year of manufacture. Optional. |
| Registration Number | The FAA Aircraft Registration number from the Certificate of Registration. Optional. |
3. Upload an image
In the same dialog, tap the image area to upload a photo. FlightSense accepts standard image formats (PNG, JPG). Images appear on the aircraft card and help pilots identify the aircraft when selecting it for a flight log.
You can update or remove the image later by editing the aircraft.
4. Save
Click Save. The new aircraft appears immediately in the grid and becomes available for instructor authorization and flight logging.
5. Remove an aircraft
Open the aircraft and click Delete. FlightSense will warn you if existing flight logs reference this aircraft. Deleting is permanent for the fleet listing, but prior flight logs and authorizations linked to this aircraft are preserved for compliance.
What happens next
Once added, the aircraft:
- Appears in the aircraft picker when instructors log flights or debriefs
- Can be added to instructor authorizations (Aircraft Authorizations on the instructor's Qualifications tab)
- Is visible to every member of your organization for reference
- Becomes selectable when configuring courses that are aircraft-specific
Common issues
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| "Add Aircraft" button is disabled or missing | Role doesn't include aircraft management | Only Owners, Admins, Chief Instructors, and Assistant Chiefs can add aircraft. |
| Tail number already exists | A duplicate record was created or the aircraft is already in your fleet | Search the Aircraft view for the tail number. If a duplicate exists, keep one and delete the other. |
| Image upload fails | File too large or unsupported format | Use PNG or JPG under 5 MB. Try a cropped or compressed version if needed. |
| Aircraft not appearing in instructor authorization options | Aircraft was just added and the authorization dialog cached the prior list | Close and reopen the authorization dialog, or refresh the page. |
| Deletion warns about existing flight logs | Logs reference this aircraft | You can still delete. Historical logs keep the aircraft's tail number and make/model as a snapshot, even after the fleet record is removed. |
How this works
Aircraft and instructor qualifications
Under FAA Part 141, instructors must be authorized on the specific aircraft they instruct in. FlightSense models this with Aircraft Authorizations — records tied to both an instructor and an aircraft. Add aircraft first, then authorize instructors against them via the instructor's Qualifications tab. See Managing Instructor Qualification Records.
Aircraft and flight logs
When an instructor or student records a debrief or flight log, they can select the aircraft flown. This ties time-and-activity totals to a specific airframe, which is useful for maintenance tracking and answering "how many hours has N12345 flown this month?" during audits.
Removing aircraft vs. taking them out of service
When an aircraft leaves your fleet (sold, retired, written off), delete it from the Aircraft view. Historical flight logs keep the aircraft's tail number and make/model as a snapshot, so your training records remain intact after deletion.
If an aircraft is only temporarily unavailable (maintenance, inspection, insurance lapse), your school's internal process — not FlightSense — should drive scheduling decisions. Today FlightSense does not model a "temporarily out of service" state for aircraft; keep the record present so prior logs continue to resolve.