Free during early access · no credit card

Run your whole flight school from one simple screen.

Schedule airplanes and instructors, see who's in the air, bill the right rate, track every inspection, sell discovery flights online, and train students with a built-in ground school. Big buttons, plain words. Anyone at your front desk can use it.

Start freeSee how it worksSet up in 10 minutes. Sample data included.
Today at KHAO2 in the air
ScheduledIn the airBack
Dispatch

Know exactly who's flying right now.

A booking is just a plan until someone sends the plane out. Downwind shows the difference at a glance: outlined means scheduled, solid and pulsing means a student is in the airplane, faded means it's back.

  • ✓Checks before every flight. Medical, flight review, insurance, solo endorsement, balance, open squawks and instructor duty hours.
  • ✓Overdue alerts. If a plane isn't back on time, it turns red.
  • ✓One-tap check-in. Enter the Hobbs and the bill, logbook entry and maintenance times all update.
Caleb Turner · N255KScheduled
Primary lesson with Dana · 2:00–4:00 pm
All checks pass: medical current, solo endorsement 21 days old, balance $0, N255K airworthy.
Billing

The right rate, for the airplane and the instructor, separately.

Charge primary students one rate and instrument or commercial students another, on the airplane and on the instructor independently. Students pay now, after every flight automatically, on account, or on a payment plan.

  • ✓Payroll in one click. Instructor hours times each instructor's pay rate.
  • ✓Point of sale. Fuel, headsets, logbooks, gift vouchers.
  • ✓Recurring charges and prepaid funds. Dues and block time post on their own.
  • ✓QuickBooks export and custom reports for your accountant.
Lesson total$0
Example rates. You set your own.
Maintenance

Airplanes that ground themselves.

Track 100-hour and annual inspections, oil changes, ELT batteries, transponder and pitot-static checks, ADs and life-limited parts. When something comes due, the airplane is pulled from the schedule before anyone can book it.

  • ✓Squawks at dispatch. Pilots see open issues before they fly, and can report new ones at check-in.
  • ✓Maintenance forecast. Downwind tells you how many days until the next 100-hour at your current pace.
N67527 · Cessna 152Airworthy
N67527Open for booking
Drag the slider past 100 hours.
Discovery flights

Sell discovery flights while you sleep.

Share one link on your website, Facebook and Google. People pick an airplane and an open time from your real schedule, or buy a gift voucher. It lands on your schedule in amber with their contact details, then follows them from first flight to enrolled student.

yourschool · discovery flightTake the controls on your first flight.
Online ground school

A ground school built in, not bolted on.

Private Pilot and Instrument courses with lessons, quizzes and a practice knowledge test, based on the FAA handbooks. Add your own videos to any lesson. Students learn at home, you watch their scores, and a passing practice exam unlocks the knowledge test endorsement.

  • ✓Endorse in one tap with wording from FAA Advisory Circular 61-65.
  • ✓Syllabus and logbook lined up with the Airman Certification Standards.
72%
Airspace and VFR minimums
Quiz · question 2 of 4
What do you need before entering Class B airspace?
Everything included

One app instead of five.

No add-ons and no per-airplane fees. Every school gets everything.

Why Downwind

Built for the people who actually run flight schools.

DownwindMost scheduling software
Easy for anyone to useBig type, plain words, one switch for larger textDense tables and menus
Scheduled vs. in the airDifferent look, live list, overdue alertsOften the same color block
Airplane and instructor ratesSet separately for primary and advanced studentsOne rate per resource
Online ground schoolBuilt in, with practice tests and endorsementsA separate subscription
Discovery flightsOnline booking, gift vouchers, follow-up to enrollmentA generic web store
PriceFree during early accessMonthly fees, often per airplane
Pricing

Free while we're in early access.

Every feature, unlimited airplanes, instructors and students. No credit card to sign up. Early schools keep a founding price when paid plans start, and we'll tell you well ahead of time.

$0
per month, no card required
Start free

Questions

Is it really free?

Yes. During early access every feature is free with no card. We want flight schools using it and telling us what to build next.

Can my students log in?

Yes. Invite them and they get their own portal: book flights within your rules, see their balance and progress, upload their medical, and take the online ground school.

Can I move over from my current software?

Yes. Add your airplanes, instructors and students in a few minutes, or ask us after you sign up and we'll help you bring them over.

Can I take card payments?

Today you record payments you take at the desk (card terminal, cash, check or bank transfer) and every balance stays right. Connecting Stripe, Square, Clover or Helcim for cards on file, tap-to-pay and student self-pay is coming soon.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Yes. It works in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers, in light or dark mode.

Is my data safe?

Everything travels over an encrypted connection, uploaded documents are private to your school and the student they belong to, and anyone can turn on two-step login with an authenticator app.