Question 1

What is StratusLog?

Accepted Answer

StratusLog is flight school operations software. It runs your schedule, your aircraft and instructor calendars, your digital flight logbook, your fleet's hours and maintenance, your student billing, and your instructor payouts, in one app built for the phone. It fits Part 61 and Part 141 schools, from a single instructor to a multi-aircraft fleet.

Question 2

Does StratusLog handle aircraft and instructor scheduling?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The schedule shows a lane for every instructor and every aircraft. When you book, StratusLog checks in real time for conflicts: an aircraft already booked, grounded, or in a blackout window; an instructor double-booked or outside their working hours; a student with another lesson. You see the conflict, with alternatives, before the booking saves.

Question 3

Is the flight logbook good enough to replace paper?

Accepted Answer

The logbook captures every column that matters: date, student, instructor, aircraft tail, route, total time, landings, night, cross-country, simulated and actual instrument, solo, ground, dual, PIC, Hobbs, Tach, cost, payment status, and remarks. Show or hide columns per person. Export to CSV any time. Endorsements and stage sign-offs live alongside the entries.

Question 4

How does billing work?

Accepted Answer

You connect Stripe once. From there, every logged flight produces an invoice using the school's dual, solo, ground, rental, and discovery rates, with per-student overrides if you need them. Invoices go out by email and text with a payment link. When the student pays, Stripe tells StratusLog and the invoice flips to paid, with a receipt sent. Anything still open gets a reminder, and every open invoice has a resend button.

Question 5

Does StratusLog track Hobbs and Tach time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every aircraft has live Hobbs and Tach meters. Each flight captures Hobbs and Tach out and in, and the aircraft updates when the flight saves. Those readings drive the maintenance counters, so StratusLog can warn you when a 100-hour inspection, annual, or oil change is approaching or overdue.

Question 6

How is student training progress tracked?

Accepted Answer

Each student has a certificate track (Private, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, CFII, MEI, or Rental), a training stage from pre-solo to checkride-ready, milestones, maneuver checklists, and endorsement records. Hours roll up automatically from the logbook, so progress is always as current as the last flight.

Question 7

What integrations are included?

Accepted Answer

Google Calendar syncs the schedule in both directions and shows outside busy time on the board. Stripe handles invoicing, payments, and instructor payouts. Email and text delivery for invoices, reminders, and notifications are built in.

Question 8

Will the app text my students when an invoice goes out?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the student has a phone number on file and has agreed to receive texts. When a flight is logged, StratusLog creates the Stripe invoice and sends the payment link to the student by text and email in your school's name. Students can reply STOP at any time to opt out.

Question 9

Does StratusLog detect scheduling conflicts before I commit?

Accepted Answer

Always. Before a booking saves, StratusLog checks aircraft availability, maintenance status, blackout periods, instructor working hours, calendar busy time, and student conflicts. If anything overlaps you see it in the composer with suggested alternatives. Owners can book anyway when they mean to.

Question 10

Can I override billing rates per student?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Set school defaults for dual, solo, ground, rental, and discovery rates, override them per aircraft, and override them again on individual students for discounts, programs, or partner deals. Only owners can discount a flight, and every discount records a reason on the invoice. A discounted lesson still pays the instructor in full.

Question 11

Is my school's data secure?

Accepted Answer

Sensitive credentials such as Stripe secret keys are encrypted server-side with AES-256-GCM. Each school's data is isolated at the database level, so a multi-location operator never sees one school's records from another. Roles control who sees what: students see only their own data, instructors see their lessons and earnings, owners see everything. You can export your data at any time.

Question 12

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

Sign up at app.stratuslog.co, add your school, your instructors, your aircraft, and your first students, and log a flight. Most schools are live the same day. The first 30 days are free on either plan, and a walkthrough is one message away on the contact page.

Question 13

How are instructors paid?

Accepted Answer

Each instructor carries an hourly rate. Every flight they log adds the matching amount to their earnings, which they can see from their own account. Instructors connect a bank account through Stripe once, and payouts go from the school's Stripe account straight to theirs, with the flights that made up the amount on the record. Owners see every instructor's activity and the full payout history; instructors see only their own.

Question 14

What does StratusLog cost, and is there a trial?

Accepted Answer

Two plans: Solo CFI at $49.99 a month for an independent instructor with one aircraft, and Flight School at $99.99 a month for a school with a team, unlimited aircraft, and automatic instructor payouts. Both come with 30 days free. A card is required to start, nothing is charged until the trial ends, and you can cancel any time from inside the app.

Question 15

Does it work on a phone?

Accepted Answer

It was built for one. Instructors log flights, check the board, and see their earnings from their phone on the ramp. Students confirm lessons and pay invoices from theirs. Add StratusLog to the home screen and it runs like an app, with push notifications for payments, schedule changes, and alerts.

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