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 |
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 components 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.
This summary is informational. The LICENSE file in the repository is the authoritative legal text.
Work not yet licensed
Section titled “Work not yet licensed”The briefing materials, software libraries, and VR simulator resources described on the homepage have not yet been published or had licences chosen for them. This page will be updated as each body of work lands and a licence is applied.