Terms & Conditions
1. WHO AND WHAT IS BLACK OPS?
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.
2. VARIATIONS OR CHANGES
3. BUSHFIRES - Deployment of aircraft by the RFS
4. WEATHER / OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
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.
Pilot decision making is based on actual weather on the day of your flight not forecasted… Please do not contact us in the days leading up to your flight to discuss a “forecast” as they can be notoriously inaccurate. Note: it’s always the pilot’s decision on the weather and it’s only on rare occasions a “No Fly” decision would be made prior to the actual flight day.
In case of operational issues, it is a requirement for passengers to provide a reliable (i.e switched on!) contact phone number so we can endeavour to make contact if required.
5. PAYMENTS
6. GIFT CERTIFICATES
It is a requirement that when a third party (non-flying) person is purchasing a gift certificate or seat/s, that they also accept the above financial and timing conditions on behalf of the recipient/s. We will not enter into negotiation on this or any other aspect of our terms & conditions with the purchaser of a gift certificate, the recipient or any third party agents.
7. CANCELLATION & 14-DAY REFUND POLICY
Of course, If you wish to “postpone” your flight for any reason OUTSIDE fourteen days, then please make contact and we will 100% accommodate your request for another day/time (based on availability of course). If you wish to “postpone” your flight INSIDE fourteen days, we will do our best to accomodate you (without guarantee) if it doesn’t impact either our company financially or other shared passengers. An example of this could be a single passenger requesting a postponement (inside 14 days) and we are unable to fill the now empty seat, therefore the flight would still proceed with the other passengers and the flight for the single passenger would be forfeited.
For bookings made directly on our website: If you wish to “cancel” your flight for any reason OUTSIDE fourteen days, then please make contact and we will accommodate your request for a full refund (less the payment gateway fee of 1.5% and credit card fee). Refunds can take up to 2 weeks to appear back on your credit card or bank account. Passengers who wish to cancel or postpone a reservation are required to notify us via email. Flight bookings are not considered cancelled or postponed until we have acknowledged and confirmed the request. Refunds of payments made through 3rd party booking agents (OUTSIDE 14 days) must be sought from the booking agent directly.
8. NO-SHOW PASSENGERS
9. OPERATIONAL POSTPONEMENT
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.
10. Share with Others or Private Flight Options
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.
11. OUR OBLIGATIONS
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.
12. Minimum age for travel
13. OTHER INFO WE NEED TO TELL YOU ABOUT
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.
14. AIRCRAFT/PASSENGER WEIGHT LIMITATIONS
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. Individual (maximum) passenger weight is 115kg with a maximum combined weight of 200kg when booking for two passengers on a shared flight. When booking for 4 on a Private flight, one passenger must be 60kg (or less). Total weight limitations apply for all flights.
15. Flying Ops - Winter 2025
16. PRIVACY
17. COPYRIGHT