Pictured: Billie-Jo, Sandra, Peter and Bridgette
For 40 years, one South Australian family has taken to the skies above the Barossa and wider South Australia, building a helicopter business that has weathered financial struggles, an arson attack, and four decades of change.
What started with a single helicopter and a dream of flying over the vineyards has grown into a five-aircraft operation offering everything from scenic wine tours and pub crawls to private regional transfers and all types of adventures across South Australia.
Now, as Barossa Helicopters prepares to celebrate its 40th birthday this October, the family business is looking towards the future with the addition of an AS350 Squirrel helicopter to the current fleet of four Robinson R44 Helicopters, its own maintenance facility and three generations growing up around aviation. But the story of how it got here is just as remarkable as the views from above.
The family’s journey began in 1983, when Peter “Goose” Kies and Sandra Kies met a pilot named Murray Bolton, who was flying over the Barossa Valley on his way to Alice Springs.
“After a few conversations with Murray, we set about getting approval to run helicopter flights at Lyndoch for the Gemütlichkeit, part of the Barossa Vintage Festival,” shared Goose. “It was Sandra’s first job as ground staff, and the flights were a huge success.”
Despite a good first run, one thing stood between Goose and the family’s plans for a permanent helicopter business. He needed his commercial licence.
It took several years to achieve, with the family short on money and Sandra pregnant with their second daughter, Billie-Jo, but on September 11th, 1986, Goose finally earned his commercial licence. Plenty of people had little faith he could, but he quietly got it done, and forty years later he’s still flying.
The couple hired a helicopter from Victoria for the summer before deciding it was time to buy their own. They eventually found a Bell 47 J2A, part of Australia’s Aviation History; it was TAA’s first helicopter, and it had also previously been owned by Rosemary Arnold, the first woman in the Southern Hemisphere to earn a commercial helicopter licence.
“When we arrived to view the helicopter, it was in pieces, and Goose thought, ‘Yep, that’s the best way to buy a helicopter’,” recalled Sandra.
“The company flew us to Darwin for a couple of nights while they rebuilt her; once back at Victoria River Downs Station, John Armstrong (owner) took us for flights around the station. The next morning, after breakfast, he pointed east and said, ‘See those hills? Keep them in sight and fly to Katherine that way, and don’t stop at the waterholes. That’s where the crocs, bulls and buffalo hang out.’ There was no GPS in those days, and we don’t think we even had maps.”
After that was when Barossa Helicopters really began taking shape, with the family building the business from their property in the Barossa. Both of Sandra and Peter’s daughters, Bridgette and Billie-Jo, began working as ground staff as children before earning their own commercial helicopter licences. Bridgette was certified as the youngest female in Australia in 1999. Billie-Jo gained her licence in 2005.
In the early days, maintenance was carried out on the back lawn, with Sandra laying bedsheets underneath the helicopter so engineers could find anything they dropped in the grass.
But the challenges weren’t just financial. The family says some people in the local community were unhappy about helicopters operating in the Barossa Valley. A petition was started calling for the business to close, while advertising signs disappeared.
Then, in December 1991, things took a devastating turn. The family’s helicopter was set alight outside Kies Family Wines on the night of December 23rd.
Sandra was woken by a phone call, which told her flames were coming from the top of the aircraft. The family was devastated, and the incident remains an open case with South Australia Police.
Yet even after losing the helicopter, they still had bookings to honour. Sandra began calling contacts throughout the aviation industry in search of another aircraft. Eventually, they were offered a Jet Ranger, along with a pilot and instructor, free of charge apart from fuel.
For the family, the tragedy became a turning point rather than an ending.
“We refused to let it stop us,” said Sandra. “We hired a helicopter from a Victorian company, who sent a pilot along with it, and came back bigger and better. That was the start of our turbine era. Since then, we have owned two Bell 206 Jet Rangers and two Bell 206 Long Rangers. Selling all 4 to swap to the Robinson R44 helicopters purely as they are great machines for tourism.”
Four decades on, Barossa Helicopters still offers a different way to experience South Australia. Travellers can take scenic flights over the Barossa and beyond, combine a helicopter trip with food and wine experiences, fly between regional destinations or arrange private day trips further afield.
The introduction of an AS350 Squirrel, which fits five passengers, is set to broaden those possibilities even further. Purchased by Bridgette and her husband Richard, the aircraft brings the fleet to five and provides additional passenger and luggage capacity.
“For a few years now we’ve had more and more requests from travel advisors, luxury lodges and guests who want to get around South Australia quickly and comfortably,” shared Bridgette.
“Our Robinson R44s are the backbone of the business and always will be. They are perfect for our scenic flights, winery experiences and regional tours. But we kept hearing from people who needed more seats, more luggage space, and a smooth way to connect the dots across the state.”
The Robinson R44 are the famous yellow helicopters you might have seen flying across South Australia.
The Squirrel will allow guests to step off a flight and head straight to their chosen destination – door to door. Partnering with other like-minded tour operators, they have exclusive opportunities in almost every region.
The R44 helicopters will continue to handle the more intimate experiences, from scenic tours to winery experiences and proposals. All of our tours are private.
And after four decades in the air, the family has certainly accumulated some memorable flights. Billie-Jo, who has been flying for more than 21 years and has almost 4,000 hours in the air, spent time flying over Lake Eyre and remote South Australia.
“There is something incredibly special about flying over the desert,” said Billie-Jo. “At first glance, you might think it’s just dry, rugged and empty, but from a helicopter, you quickly realise just how alive it really is. After rain, the desert can transform completely, with colour, water and life appearing across a landscape that seemed almost barren only weeks before.”
As a family business, all of us at some point have flown in nearly every state in Australia, conducting aerial filming, wildlife work and remote operations.
Closer to home, Bridgette recently helped turn a family connection with the SANFL into an exciting mission of delivering the Grand Final Cup to Adelaide Oval by helicopter.
For Goose and Sandra, though, the biggest achievement is seeing aviation become a multi-generational part of their lives. Now, grandson Harry has joined the business in a ground staff role.
Barossa Helicopters has also continued to build its place within South Australia’s tourism industry, working closely with operators across the state to create experiences that connect different regions.
The business was recognised with a silver award in the 2025 South Australian Tourism Awards in the Transport and Tour Operator category.
“An award like this is never won easily. It belongs to our team. I’m incredibly proud of our crew who become family, and our family. Working in a close-knit family business asks a lot of everyone, yet our team shows up every day to share South Australia with guests from around the world. The wonderful reviews we receive about our crew say it all,” said Bridgette.
As the family looks towards the next decade, Bridgette says maintaining that family feel is just as important as growing the business.
“Over the next decade, I’d love to see our brand keep growing while holding on to that genuine family business feel. When people fly with us, I want them to feel comfortable with us and that they are in safe hands, and most of all to enjoy every moment of their experience.”
From a helicopter bought in pieces and rebuilt from the ground up to a five-aircraft operation spanning some of South Australia’s most spectacular destinations, Barossa Helicopters has come a long way. Forty years later, the Kies family is still flying, and with the next generation already learning the ropes, there’s another chapter waiting somewhere over the horizon.
Barossa Helicopters
Where: 261 Hoffnungsthal Rd, Lyndoch SA 5351
For more information, click here.
