Q. How do I get to you?  

Ballarat is an easy 1 hr 15 minute drive from Melbourne CBD. The easiest way to find us is to print off this map. It will give you complete directions.

Click here for list of Maps  

Q. How do I get to you if I do not drive?

No drama - if you jump on a V / Line train to Ballarat we will pick you up from the station and drop you back after the flight. Just let us know that is what you are doing prior to the flight.

PDF Train time table - Please check with Vline for accuracy and schedule changes.

Here are the link to the V / Line web site with train timetables.

Melbourne to Ballarat

Ballarat to Melbourne

Q. What size and age do I have to be to fly with you?

It is the purchasers responsibility to ensure the intended passenger meets the body and size requirments for the intended aircraft.

Strikemaster Adventure Flights

1. Are suitable for people aged 15 and up who meet the following criteria-
2. Weigh between 50 and 110kgs. Please check with our staff if your weight range falls outside of this range prior to booking. Please check with our staff prior to booking if you wish to fly and stand more than 6ft 2inches tall. Whilst we are able to accommodate most body sizes and heights we do require knowledge of this prior to booking to allow us enough time to make seat adjustments if required.
3. Are of average health and are able bodied. We also specialise in providing Jet Fighter experiences for severely ill or terminally ill people. Please check with our staff if your passenger falls into this category prior to booking. As each flight is tailored to suit the individual we are able to offer flights to people affected by various types of medical conditions. If this applies to your booking please speak to our staff prior to booking your flight.

Yak-52 Flights

1. Are suitable for people aged 12 and up who meet the following criteria-
2. Weigh between 40 and 110kgs. Please check with our staff if your weight range falls outside of this range prior to booking. Please check with our staff prior to booking if you wish to fly and stand more than 6ft tall to ensure the passenger will meet aircraft size restrictions.
3. Are of average health and are able bodied. We also specialise in providing Yak Flight experiences for severely ill or terminally ill people. Please check with our staff if your passenger falls into this category prior to booking. As each flight is tailored to suit the individual we are able to offer flights to people affected by various types of medical conditions. If this applies to your booking please speak to our staff prior to booking your flight.

Please COMPLETE for each passenger:
Name _____________________________________
PASSENGER WEIGHT _____________kg
PASSENGER  HEIGHT  _____________cm

Q. Can I have a brochure?  

Sure, in fact you can download them all direct from our website.

Brochures  

Q. Did I see you on TV?  

Most likely. Here are some video clips from some of the show we have been on.

View videos

Q. Were you the people in the newspaper/magazine I read?  

Quite possibly. Here are a collection of some of the press we have been in.

View press page

Q. What happens if the weather is bad?  

This is a very common question. Slight rain and wind do not typically affect a flight or prevent it from going ahead. That being said there can be the odd day that the cloud is too low to allow us to operate legally or safely. Mostly the weather passes through quite quickly and we are able to conduct flights all be it a little late. If the weather is unsuitable to fly we will contact you either before you have left to travel to us or while you are in transit. We will reschedule your flight if the pilot advises the weather is unsuitable. Please have your mobile phone on while you are traveling to us and have closeby so you can hear it if we call. Weather at Ballarat can be changeable so be prepared for hot and cold weather.  

Q. Will there be good weather the day we are flying?

As my crystal ball is in for dry cleaning we have provided this great link so you can check out the weather forecast live at Ballarat.

Q. Will I get sick?  

Most likely not, provided you follow our simple guidelines. Less than 5% of people are actually ill during a flight. We ask that you avoid alcohol for 24 hours before the flight, eat light meals at the usual times on the day of the flight (please note a 5 egg omelete is not considered to be a light meal), avoid taking anti nausea medication as it tends to make you sick, seriously consider telling the recipient of the flight what they are doing PRIOR to their arrival (most people who are sick have not been given the opportunity to prepare for the flight as it is a surprise, so consider giving them advance warning to help avoid illness), pay attention during the briefing as we will give you pointers to avoid feeling ill. We also have an anti nausea wrist device that works a treat.  

Q. Can I bring my friends, family, kids?  

Yes the more the merrier. That being said safety is of paramount important. Airports are dangerous places and people can and do get hurt. Be aware that loud noise from operating aircraft can be distressing to young children. Be aware that airports are dangerous places and all children must be contained and supervised accordingly. Visitors are welcome however they must take direction from our trained staff ad adhere to relevant regulations as instructed. There are no picnic facilities at the airport, nor shop however we do have a vending machine and there is a fabulous bbq and playground 5 minutes drive from the airport.

Q. I’ll be there early……  

We ask that you arrive 5 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. Our schedule does run back to back and we pride ourselves on personal service so other people will have flights scheduled before and after yours. Please be considerate of other people’s appointment times and allow us to spend time with them during their experience as we will with you. By arriving just 5 minutes before your flight this ensures we are ready to start you at your allotted time and gives you time to say hi before your briefing.  

Q. Can I get a DVD of the flight?  

Sure can. DVD’s can be ordered on the day of the flight viewing it during the debrief. We will produce it and send it to you in the post the week following the flight.  

Q. Why don’t you fly from capital cities?  

State and Federal laws prevent adventure flights in fighter jets from being conducted over a built up area. Therefore we operate from rural areas. The good news is we do not have restricted airspace issues eating into your flight time.  

Q. Why should I buy a flight from you not Joe Bloggs?  

Good question. The answer is “We fix $6 haircuts”.  

We fix $6 haircuts

A segment on the Today Show caught my attention. Part of the segment was a story on fixing $6 haircuts. In essence a hairdresser in the United States was well established in his local community with no competition. He was charging $25 for his haircuts and a new barber opened up across the street and put up a sign offering $6 haircuts. The guy charging $25 saw clearly that if he did not lower his price he would lose business. Equally if he lowered his price to $6 he would not be able to provide the same service, would lose customers and in all likelyhood would be unable to remain in business. What he did was left his price at $25 and put up a sign stating "We fix $6 haircuts". The implicit message in this story is that the original barber provided a superior product with superior service - he was not able to provide that same product or service for the reduced amount. As it happens he did not lose any business to the low cost barber and did not need to compromise his product quality or level of service. The age old adage "you get what you pay for" comes to mind.

Australian Jet Adventures has been conducting aviation adventures flights for around 6 years and a significant portion of our business comes from referral. As we all know referral is the best type of advertising. It indicates to us we are doing things right. And all along we have strived to improve the product offered to you. We understand this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and treat it as such. We believe in customer service and act accordingly.

You have heard the phrase "compare apples with apples" consider this: We conduct flights in superior performance aircraft e.g. One operator is using an L29 and touting it as the best value jet flight in Australia. In fact it's not the cheapest but more importantly what they fail to mention is that it lacks performance and is mediocre at best and they operate with minimal experience. Our Strikemaster has nearly twice the thrust and we will address our pilot training further. Nanchang's are being flouted as fighter aircraft - simply they are not - and the performance between a Nanchang and a YAK is a world apart - consider the question - how many world aerobatic championships have Nanchang's won a place in? The clear answer is none. The YAK however, has won many - this speaks for itself. Rather than purchase an inferior cheaper Nanchang aircraft we chose to go with the best in that class and selected the Yak.

In fact two Nanchang pilots flew with us and were in awe of the performance difference between the Nanchang and the YAK - in their words the Nanchang is a pussy cat when compared to the YAK. An L29 pilot and many experienced RAAF fighter pilots have stated the L29 and the Strikemaster are chalk and cheese - there just is no comparison. They describe the L29 as "a true curvature of the earth machine" - meaning it has no performance and if the earth didn't curve it wouldn't climb.

We offer superior packages and package content.

• Photos of your experience taken with a top of the line 8 Mega Pixel digital camera.
• An enlargement of one of the photo's of the day - 18cm x 24cm - in a glass frame. Printed on photographic paper with pigment ink. The pigment ink might not mean too much to most of you but it is water proof and guaranteed colour fast for 70 years - important for memories.
• A personalised CD with the photo's taken on the day. This disk also contains a number of library photo's, screen savers of military aircraft and aerobatic teams such as the Blue Angels - along with you own personalised screen saver with your photo's of the day.
• An Australian Jet Adventures cap for those sunny days.
• A coffee mug so you'll remember the great experience each time you enjoy a drink.
• Post flight viewing of the inflight flight video footage. After the flight you, your family and friends can sit back, relax in our lounge and view the video of the flight. Each aircraft has multiple camera angles with broadcast quality footage including inflight audio. That footage is also available on DVD.
• Briefing book - complete details of the aircraft including full colour pictures or the aircraft and instruments, a map of the area you flew in and a photographic index of the photos taken on the day in a personally bound book.
• A certificate of completion. The final proof that you actually did it - printed especially for you - not some bulk printed stationary which has your name writen on after the event.

What we are doing is very serious stuff and is not to be taken lightly. Our pilots train with current serving RAAF instructors - learning from the best - to pass the safest and best possible experience on to you. Most of our pilots are qualified instructors themselves also. Other operators have the view - does not matter if the experience you get with them is sloppy, they say “the punter will not know”. We take the view it is a once in a lifetime experience for you and we are going to do our best to get the most out of the experience for you. In this regard Video briefing is very beneficial - the video briefing gives you a very clear idea as to what it is you are going to do and this enhances the experience because you are better prepared.

We will properly brief you on your flight, aircraft and adventure. You will know what to expect. You will know what to do in case of an emergency however slight the risk. You will not have an aeroplane model waved in your face trying to explain manoeuvres. You will not be thrown into a jet aircraft with no emergency briefing. Your briefing with us is done with DVD quality video ensuring quality and consistency. All aspects of your flight and your needs during it are covered. We are one of the few operators that actually brief and to my knowledge the only one that does video briefing.

We also fly our passengers with insurance. Now you would think in this day and age it would be compulsory to have insurance wouldn’t you? Not so. In fact it is optional for the passenger the aircraft itself and third party damage. More pointedly it is hard to obtain as insurers will only cover you if they perceive you are a low risk. This is in fact why we do have it! It may not seem important but it really is.

We offer a facility for you and your family to use. There is nothing worse than standing out in the open or waiting in your car or attempting to get through a miriade of new security procedures at some larger regional airports where your family is seperated from you for the experience. You have paid good money and should get equally good service. With us you are greeted when you arrive and guided through the whole experience and your family and friends can join in. Other operators have aircraft on the tarmac, you get to the airport, find the pilot, join the queue, do the flight and go your seperate ways. It's true you do the flight but where is the magic? Where are the memories? Do they take your photo and offer you a cuppa?  What do you take away with you to look back on in later years - the clear answer is nothing more than whatever you remember of the flight.

When weather is permitting we operate in the vicinity of the airport so that family and friends who attend with you can see the action and you can share that experience with them later. Other operators do not do this. It is one of the benefits of operating where we do - we are able to do it.

So when considering your purchase know that we offer more than the others at a reasonable cost to you and we actually provide what we say we do. There may be other places you can experience a “joy” or “adventure flight” but we will go out on a limb and say we will try to under promise and over deliver to you.

Q. Are the pilots ex RAAF?  

Not all of our pilots are ex RAAF pilots nor do they need to be. Flying a fighter jet is not as easy as it seems. There are also many excellent pilots that are not RAAF pilots. We like to think we have them here. Our pilots are all trained extensively on the aircraft they fly. That includes recurrency training with current military trainers, specialist aerobatic trainers etc to develop the best possible skills and safety for all of our pilots.  

Q. If I join your mailing list will you give my information to anyone else?  

No. We hate companies that do that too. The information is used solely by us. We may from time to time (on average once or twice a year) offer you an extra special discount or promotion on flights we sell as a thank you for joining our mailing list. These specials are exclusive to mailing list people and are not offered to the general public.  

Q. Can I fly the plane?  

Unless you are a currently qualified pilot undergoing endorsement training in it, it is against CASA regulations to allow you to fly the aircraft during an adventure flight. Endorsement training is available for qualified private pilots and those with higher qualifications. Please contact us for further information. Most people including many pilots are busy enough during the flight experiencing the effect of G on their body making it difficult or impossible for them to control the aircraft in any case.  

Q. Why are the jet flights so expensive?  

We actually have the least expensive jet adventure flight experience in the world so comparatively it is not that expensive. Fuel, insurance, maintenance, purchasing a jet etc are all very expensive. Also most jet aircraft have a limited fatigue life. When it is all used up you cannot fly it anymore. This too has to be factored into the cost of a flight.  

Q. Do you offer group discounts?  

Group booking discounts apply for groups of 4 or more for both the Strikemaster Jet flights and the Yak-52 flight packages where the group is flying on the same day on assigned corporate days. So why not get a group of friends together and take to the skies? Simply contact us for more information on group bookings.  

Q. Do you do Corporate Days?  

Yes we do. A sortie in the Strikemaster or the Yak 52, whether it be for an individual or as part of a corporate incentive, is the perfect climax to any event.

Perhaps you are celebrating the end of a fabulous sales period or having a break from a hectic conference schedule. Australian Jet Adventures can tailor Adventure flights to suit your requirements. For those with something a little different in mind we can assist in incorporating "Adventure Flights" into any type of planned event from new product launches to sales conferences or distributor incentive schemes. We take your staff under our wing and provide them with an enthusiastic and motivational experience. Australian Jet Adventures can access facilities to accomodate your event, can arrange catering and assist in organising your function. Our aircraft are also available for film, photographic and advertising purposes.

We have a package of discounted flights for corporate users. In essence it is based on the purchase of bulk time (min 5 hours per year) which can be consumed in blocks of time that you specify. For details of this package please contact us.

Motivational speaking and team building are widely recognized as effective tools for improving the health of a company and it's position and standing within the market place. We are able to refer you two distinctly different organisations that specialize in this area and are well regarded in their field.

Team Building Exercises

High Flyers Corporate Training provides unique development programs for high performance business teams and their leaders. From large group presentations to individual '1 V 1' coaching, the High Flyers program helps individuals and teams consistently achieve a higher level of performance.

Q. Can I book you for an Airshow I am organising?

Yes, Australian Jet Adventures aircraft can be booked to attend airshows or special events on either static display or as a flight display for your next Airshow using either our BAC 167 Strikemaster or our Yak-52. Our experienced pilots can offer a variety of exciting aerobatic performances and with our attractive Airshow incentive rates you can afford to have the added noise and visual attraction of a jet warbird at your upcoming event.

Some of our Airshow appearances include:

• Fighters over Port 2002
• The Apex Deniliquin Airshow 2002
• The Australian International Airshow 2003
• The Chas Kelly Transport Airshow Devonport 2003
• World Superbike Championships at Phillip Island 2003
• Avalon Airshow 2005

Simply contact us for more information on Airshow appearance bookings.

Q. What happens if I get sick and can’t come?

We recommend you take out travel insurance for  your trip to Ballarat even if you are a local. Then if you are prevented from attending due to illness out of pocket expenses may be covered by your travel insurance.

Q. What happens if I make an appointment and have to change it?

Changing your appointment can cost you money. This is outlined in the booking terms and conditions as supplied to you. This fee is to prevent people from changing appointments with little or no notice meaning our fleet sits on the ground when we could have fitted in other clients.    

Q. When will my gift voucher expire?  

Vouchers purchased from us at standard prices are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. This means the flight must be flown within that 6 months. Please allow at least a few weeks (a minimum of 28 days to be safe) notice to book in for your flight. Packages purchased on special are generally valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. This will be indicated on your voucher. Vouchers purchased through third party booking agents are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase and the expiry will be made known at the time of purchase. All vouchers have an expiry date clearly written on the voucher. It is your responsibility to ensure you take your flight before the expiry date. Please be sure to bring your gift voucher with you along with photo ID when you come to our office for your flight. We require it as a form of identification.

Q. I purchased my Voucher through an agent. What do I need to do?

Vouchers purchased through booking agents such as FreemanX, Excapades, RedBalloonDays etc generally require that you activate them online at the booking agents website. You will be asked to provide a choice of dates and then their system will generate an email to us requesting the dates. We will slot you in on one of them or if they are not available we will call you to arrange another time. It is important that when you receive your confirmation email from the booking agent that you follow the link and return the booking terms and conditions contract on receipt of that email. Also take the time to print out the directions to help you to find us at Ballarat Airport. Bring your gift voucher and photo ID with you for your flight appointment.