Licensing
What open-source licensing means
Section titled “What open-source licensing means”Open-source licensing is a legal mechanism that lets me publish software or content publicly while controlling how it can be reused. Instead of locking things behind a paywall or restricting use, an open licence spells out explicitly: “you can use this, you can modify it, and here’s what you need to do if you do.”
The reason I use it: I want the resources on this site to remain freely available to flight instructors and learners indefinitely — not just while I’m able to maintain them, not just while there’s a business reason to keep them free. An open licence makes that a legal promise rather than a good intention.
The “catch” is that if you improve the licensed code, you legally have to share those improvements back. This is intentional: improvements flow to the community, making the resources better for everyone and improving pilot learning and safety outcomes.
Licensing is per project repository
Section titled “Licensing is per project repository”Each body of work I publish lives in its own GitHub repository, and each repository carries its own LICENSE file. That file is the authoritative source for what you can and can’t do with that body of work. This page summarises the current state; when in doubt, read the LICENSE file in the relevant repository.
Published repositories
Section titled “Published repositories”| Repository | Licence | Authoritative source |
|---|---|---|
| open-aviation-components | Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0) | LICENSE |
| open-aviation-briefings | MPL-2.0 for code and configuration; Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0) for the briefings’ content | LICENSE and LICENSE-CC-BY-SA |
Software libraries in development
Section titled “Software libraries in development”The software libraries aren’t released yet, but their repositories are public and already licensed:
| Repository | Licence | Authoritative source |
|---|---|---|
icao-shared-kernel-rs | MPL-2.0 | LICENSE |
icao-shared-kernel-py | MPL-2.0 | LICENSE |
au-casa | MPL-2.0 | LICENSE |
au-casa-py | MPL-2.0 | LICENSE |
What MPL-2.0 means in plain language
Section titled “What MPL-2.0 means in plain language”The Mozilla Public License 2.0 is a file-level copyleft licence. In plain terms:
- Free to use. You can use the code in your own projects, including commercial ones, at no cost.
- Free to modify. You can change the source code to suit your needs.
- Modifications to MPL-licensed files must be shared. If you modify a file that is covered by the MPL, you must make your modified version available under the MPL when you distribute it. Files you add to your project that are not derived from MPL-covered files are unaffected — you don’t have to open-source your whole project.
What CC BY-SA 4.0 means in plain language
Section titled “What CC BY-SA 4.0 means in plain language”The Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence covers written and visual content, such as the briefings’ slides and notes. In plain terms:
- Free to share. You can copy and redistribute the briefings, including commercially.
- Free to adapt. You can change them to suit your school or your students.
- Give credit. You must credit the original, link to the licence, and say whether you changed it.
- Share alike. If you distribute an adapted briefing, you must license it under CC BY-SA 4.0 too, so others can improve on your version in turn.
These summaries are informational. The LICENSE file in each repository is the authoritative legal text.
Work not yet licensed
Section titled “Work not yet licensed”The VR simulator resources described on the homepage haven’t been published or had a licence chosen for them yet. This page will be updated when they are.
This website itself isn’t openly licensed. Its source is public so you can see how it’s built, but its text, images and logos aren’t licensed for reuse.