New Channel Country helicopter tourism flights launched in Longreach

Chief pilot Jamie Bush has been flying since 2009 and operating a business in Clermont since 2011 but, together with wife Mardi, purchased the Queensland Helicopters business in Longreach from Tim Rayner last year, and has been making strides in all aspects of the operation.

Longreach base manager Chris Kirk said tourism was now a large focus of their business.

"The region really lends itself to aerial tourism, especially the river channels," he said.

"You can drive around in it but it's not until you get above it that you really get a sense of it all.

"You can pull up to a creek and not know there are dozens of channels behind it."

Mr Kirk said the people they took up for flights also commented on the vastness of the landscape opened up to them.

"We've even taken up people who've been locals for 30 years and it changes their whole view of the land," he said.

As well as scenic flights to get a taste of Longreach and surrounds, Queensland Helicopters has launched its new Channel Country and Canapes experience this year, which takes people high above the Thomson River and across the plains to a secluded location for a locally sourced picnic and refreshments.

The whole experience takes an hour and gives participants access to experienced pilots who have insights to what's on the ground below, and the history of the region.

Mr Kirk said that as well as some of the locations being inaccessible by means other than air, the flights offered visitors who'd arrived by plane, bus or train a means to experience the serene seclusion of the moment.

"Even if people come here by vehicle, some don't like to leave the bitumen," he said.

"And we're starting to build more experiences into our offering, such as Starlight's Lookout at sunset.

"That's 40km down a dirt road - if you're coming back after sunset by road, you have to contend with roos and cattle on the road."

The canapes offering is an hour long, and the sunset atop the cattle duffer's prime position is a 90 minute experience.

The addition to the charter work, powerline surveys, aerial mustering, feral animal control, incendiary tasks, and film crews on location, has been prompted by wanting to offer more to the outback town's tourism offering.

Mr Kirk said they working to partner with the town's other tourism operators to offer packages, and also have an application in with the Longreach Regional Council to build a purpose-built hangar at the airport.

As well as housing up to five of their choppers, it will also give customers comfortable ablution facilities.

They have 10 machines - three R22s, 3 R44s and 4 Bell long rangers, and one of each machine is stationed at Longreach at all times.

"We're here for every job, and people don't have to pay a ferrying fee from Clermont," Mr Kirk said. "If pilots have been to a property before on a job, you can request them again."

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