Getting Started with Canopy
Welcome to Canopy — your club or flight school's operations hub. This guide walks you through the first steps after your account is created.
What's in Canopy
Canopy is built for three types of aviation organizations. Your portal is configured for your type, so you'll only see what's relevant to you.
| Product | Who it's for |
|---|---|
| Canopy Soar | Glider and soaring clubs — flying days, tow operations, cross-country programs |
| Canopy Aero | Flying clubs and GA aircraft partnerships — bookings, hourly billing, maintenance tracking |
| Canopy Academy | Part 61 and Part 141 flight schools — student enrollment, syllabus management, stage checks, FAA endorsements |
All products share a common core: member roster, aircraft fleet, billing, invoices, and reporting.
Step 1 — Complete your club profile
Go to Admin → Settings → General and fill in:
- Club name and contact details — shown on invoices and emails to members
- Timezone — affects all scheduling and timestamps
- Currency and date format
If you want custom branding (logo, colors), go to Admin → Settings → Branding.
Step 2 — Add your aircraft
Go to Admin → Aircraft → Add Aircraft. You'll need:
- Registration / tail number
- Make, model, and year
- Aircraft type (glider, airplane, helicopter, etc.)
Aircraft appear on the scheduling board and flight log once added. You can add as many as you need.
Step 3 — Invite your members
Go to Admin → Members → Invite Member. Enter their email address and assign a role:
| Role | Access level |
|---|---|
| Member | View schedule, log flights, access their own records and billing |
| Instructor | Member access + can sign off training records and grade students (Academy) |
| Admin | Full access to all admin functions |
| Owner | Same as admin — used for the account owner |
Members receive a branded email with a link to set their password. The link is valid for 7 days. You can resend it from Admin → Members → [Member name].
Step 4 — Configure billing
Go to Admin → Billing → Dues Plans to set up your membership dues. Then go to Admin → Settings → Billing to configure:
- Which payment methods you accept (Stripe, PayPal, manual/cash)
- Auto-invoice schedule
- Late fee rules
See the Billing & Dues article for full details.
Step 5 — Set up your first flying day or booking
For soaring clubs: Go to Admin → Flying Days → Create Flying Day. Set the date, add slots (morning, afternoon, etc.), and configure how members sign up. You can set up a recurring weekly schedule so flying days are created automatically.
For flying clubs: Go to Admin → Bookings → Availability to configure bookable time slots for each aircraft. Members can then book directly from the portal.
For flight schools: Go to Admin → Academy → Courses to create your first syllabus. Then enroll your first student from Admin → Academy → Students.
Navigating the portal
Your admin sidebar has everything you need. Common areas:
- Dashboard — overview of recent activity, billing status, and upcoming flying days
- Members — full roster management
- Aircraft — fleet list and logs
- Admin → [Module] — module-specific management pages
- Reports — summaries and exports
Members see a simplified view with only what they need: their schedule, flights, billing, and profile.
Need help?
Email us at support@flycanopy.com with your club name and what you're trying to do. We respond within one business day.