Terms & Conditions

The BLACK OPS brand is an adventure-based helicopter flight product utilising a very cool looking jet turbine military style MD500E HELICOPTER. The company & aircraft are 100% owned & operated by the very experienced Sydney based, helicopter pilot, Mark Fitzsimmons (8500+ hours). Black Ops is a fully certified Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) accredited Air Operator. Our Air Operating Certificate (AOC) number is: CASA.TAAOC.0369.

The company will use its best endeavours to deliver the service as advertised, discussed verbally, negotiated with a third party or communicated via electronic or written form… However actual sights, flights, seating position, routes, departure points, times & flight duration may vary (or even be postponed at short notice) due to weather, operational considerations (including deployment of our MD500E helicopter by the RFS (Rural Fire Service) during bushfire/wildfire activity), air traffic control, non-scheduled maintenance or pilot discretion. The company can give no guarantee of exact arrival or departure time for any service and will not be liable for any failure to make connections to other services or not achieving stated outcomes due to operational considerations beyond our control.

Very Important to consider before booking: During the warmer months, Sydney and its surrounds are prone to bushfire/wildfire activity where lives and property may be threatened. During periods of high fire danger, our specialised aircraft can be tasked by the RFS (sometimes at very short notice) to assist the community. As a company, we prioritise this service over all other flight activities. There have been occasions where we’ve postponed Black Ops passenger flights at very short notice (i.e. the day before the flight). For this reason, it is a strict condition of booking that passengers accept this may occur. We will of course reschedule you for another day if this were to happen. If you do not want to accept this condition, please make contact with us outside 14 days of your flight date for a 100% refund.

If the actual weather is inclement on the day of your flight (i.e. raining, low cloud or strong winds with no signs of improvement), the flight will be rescheduled at a time that is mutually convenient. If there is a weather issue that potentially prevents us from flying, we will always endeavour to contact you first, otherwise, assume your flight is proceeding as per your booking confirmation and arrive 15-minutes before your departure time.

The call on the weather is at the absolute discretion of your pilot. We do not depart in heavy rain/poor visibility or when thunderstorms are in the area of flight. Your safety is our number one priority. For rescheduled bookings, a new agreement is entered in to and our full terms and conditions apply in their entirety (plus a 12 month extension given) as if it was a new booking. – See below for further info.

On occasion, delays can occur for reasons beyond our control (i.e. passing storm / ATC or operational considerations). On these occasions, the company may exercise a “60-minute wait window”. This means that we will reserve the right to make a decision to fly for up to 60 minutes, in this time period the original booking and all our terms & conditions still stand (please allow for this contingency with your schedule as not waiting will be considered a no-show and the seat will be forfeited). Unless agreed prior, at no stage, is the company financially responsible for how passengers arrive or depart (by land-based transport) to or from our base.

Payment is made at the time of booking (credit card payments attract a flat 1.75% fee for domestic cards). Direct deposit is also available (from Australian banks only).

 Gift certificates can be purchased & are valid (price guaranteed) for 12 months from date of issue. Gift certificates are non-refundable 14 days after purchase for a change of mind or for circumstances beyond the control of the business (including buying the certificate for a passenger/s that is above the weight limit of 115kg). If the certificate is not redeemed by the recipient within 12 months (from date of issue). The amount paid for the certificate will be preserved for a further 24 months (as a non-refundable credit) but we will not be obliged to offer the flight at the same price, therefore, if after 12 months, the price of the flight (on the certificate) has increased, an additional amount will need to be paid at the time of booking. As a rule of thumb 4 to 5 weeks notice is required to redeem the certificate (especially during peak times). The onus of responsibility is always for the recipient to contact us to redeem the certificate. No notification is ever given for expiring certificates (by the company) to the purchaser or recipient. Please note that the company won’t be flight operational for 3 months over the (southern) winter period from July 2025. Any Gift Certificates that expire in this period will have up to 3 months added to the original 12 month validity.

 Cancellation by passengers INSIDE fourteen days prior to the departure date or a no show on the day will incur a 100% cancellation fee and forfeiture of the seat/s. Our 14 day non-refundable policy is in place because as a “Share with Others” passenger, you are relying on the other passengers to fly and they are relying on you to make up the required minimum passengers required to get airborne (i.e the income from all seats). A short notice cancellation usually doesn’t give us enough time to fill the seats. The same policy also applies to the Private Flights as it doesn’t leave enough time to fill the flight time we’ve allocated in our schedule. 

Passengers who fail to show for the flight (or are late for ANY reason causing operational difficulties. i.e Holding up other passengers or potentially causing us to be delayed for other flights) will incur a 100% cancellation fee and will forfeit/invalidate the right to rebook – It is an absolute requirement that you arrive 15-minutes before your flight time..

If we postpone your flight due to inclement weather or other operational contingency (including aircraft maintenance/RFS callout etc), we will hold over the original price paid and extend your flight for a further 12 months as a non-refundable credit. Our no refund policy is based on the fact that we are still able (on request) to offer flight dates and times if your first choice date/time doesn’t go ahead (i.e due to weather). Please consider this when booking and be prepared to fly on another day if your original flight is postponed for operational reasons. This is very important that passengers understand and accept this key condition because after 12 months of the original flight date, if you haven’t rebooked, your credit will be invalid and non redeemable. Importantly, if your flight is postponed, we will work with you (at your request) to find another suitable date/time that suits your schedule and always aim to rebook you as soon as possible. Please do not book with us if you do not want to accept this condition or any other aspect of our Terms & Conditions.

In all circumstances (unless a new date has been established at the time of postponement) the onus of responsibility is always on the passenger to contact us to reschedule the flight. No notification is ever given for expiring flight credits (by the company) to the purchaser or passengers. We can not stress this enough, you MUST make contact with us within 12 months in order to rebook. We reiterate, refunds are not given for operationally rescheduled flights (as they are still valid) & 100% MUST be redeemed within 12 months of the original booking. This condition also applies to bookings that we have allowed to be postponed for any other reason. Please note: Due to the sheer volume of correspondence we receive, we do not enter into any form of correspondence or negotiation after 12 months regarding expired flights.

Our MD500E helicopter can seat up to 4 passengers… The standard “Share with Others” configuration is 3 passengers (i.e A couple sitting together and a single passenger). If operational considerations permit, we may configure the aircraft to fly two couples i.e two in the front next to the pilot and two seated together behind or two singles in the back and the couple in the front. (Definition of a couple? Known to each other). Individual & total weight limitations apply for all flights: Individual (maximum) passenger weight is 115kg with a maximum combined weight of 200kg when booking for two passengers on a shared flight.

Groups of two, three or four can also take a “Private Flight” option by purchasing all 4 seats with a 50% to 100% discount on the 4th seat. (When booking for 4, one passenger must be 60kg or less) Note: Minimum passenger numbers of 3 apply to all “Share with Others” flights. Individual & total weight limitations apply for all flights.

For all flights, seating is decided at the absolute discretion of the Pilot in Command and is always subject to a weight & balance calculation. Please also note that the BLACK OPS experience is an adventure-based product and part of the flight route normally involves coastal flying where less emphasis is placed on the scenic component of the experience.

Our duty is to minimise risk by making safety our primary focus and at the same time, to provide memorable experiences for our passengers. We own our helicopters & are fully certified by CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) to operate under Air Operator Certificate (AOC) number S551971-09. We hold all legally required insurances including a certificate of compliance under the Civil Aviation Carriers Liability Act. We strongly recommend that you only fly with a long established company (such as ours) that has its own AOC.

We don’t always claim to offer the cheapest flights but we are one of the best at it – Quality & cheap are not usually in the same sentence, especially in aviation! Our reputation in the aviation industry speaks volumes.

Minimum age for travel for BLACK OPS is 10 years of age for the doors OFF option and not less than 3 years of age (and a minimum weight of 16kg) with the door ON. All passengers between 3 & those that have not reached their 18th birthday must be accompanied by at least 1 adult. Regardless of age, all door off operations are at the absolute discretion of the Pilot in Command.

Normal clothing/closed shoes must be worn. Everything must stay within the aircraft so no loose items will be permitted. As this is an adventure based activity, it is a requirement that you must have an alcohol-blood reading below .05. You may be breathalysed prior to boarding and anyone over the limit will not fly (and will forfeit/invalidate the right to rebook).

To conduct a BLACK OPS mission you will need to have a general level of health and fitness with the ability to enter and exit the aircraft independently without physical assistance. On the day, you may be asked questions about your ability to fly in an aircraft with the doors off, however there are some things that may prevent you from conducting the mission, including:

• Heart conditions
• Physical injuries
• Vertigo
• A history of mental illness
• A history of fits or seizures

We are here to help you enjoy a once in a lifetime experience so it’s a requirement that you inform us of anything that you feel may impact your wellbeing and/or the safety of others onboard. It is also a requirement that at the time of booking you inform us of any passengers that have a physical (health related) or intellectual handicap. Boarding may be denied (without refund) if you neglect to give us information prior that could cause operational difficulties.

The company & it’s employees reserve the right to also deny carriage/boarding (without refund) to any person who behaves at any stage (from the beginning of your interaction with us) with an intent to deceive or acts in a disorderly, intoxicated, threatening or offensive manner to our flight/ground crew or other passengers. Doors off operations are entirely at the discretion of the Pilot in Command. Please note: Due to the sheer volume of correspondence we receive, we do not enter into any form of correspondence or negotiation regarding our flight operations and instead direct you to read all of our Terms and Conditions in advance and before making any booking with us. Please do not book if you do not want to accept our Terms & Conditions in their entirety.

All flights are subject to the aircraft operating within its weight and balance/performance limitations as specified in the aircraft flight manual and the Company Operations Manual. Every flight has a maximum allowable total weight for passengers and seating positions are decided by the Pilot in Command. Camera systems are also subject to operational considerations.

Passenger/s will need to inform us at the time of booking of all individual passenger weights (inclusive of clothing). This is also confirmed on the day of flight as passengers are weighed prior to departure. Please note: Giving an incorrect weight for a single passenger or a group at time of booking, could result in cancellation of the seat/s on the day of the flight if it causes us operational difficulties, (i.e. the actual weights would contribute to an excess greater than our aircraft maximum take-off weight). This will also forfeit/invalidate the right to rebook. Flight prices are based on standard passenger weights. Individual passengers (or a group of) in excess of 115kg per person (250lb/18 stone) will affect the ability for us to accept your booking.

Please note that the company won’t be operational in July/August 2025. Any Gift Certificates that expire in this period will have 2 months added to the original 12 month validity.

Any information we receive via this web site or directly from you will be considered private and will never be passed on to any third party.

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Have we missed anything? Are you unsure about certain aspects of our Terms & Conditions? If so, please make contact with us for clarification as our Terms & Conditions form the basis of our agreement if you want to fly with BLACK OPS. We hope to see you soon…