Longhorn Helicopters

What Longhorn Helicopters does

Longhorn Helicopters is a privately held, Fort Worth-based helicopter charter and tour operator serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and broader Texas market. Founded in 2006 and operating from Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (FAA Certificate L62A072L), the company runs a five-aircraft fleet comprising a Bell 407, AS350 B2, Bell 505, Bell 206, and Robinson R-44, giving it capacity coverage from three to six passengers across tour, charter, photography, and utility missions.

The company's core product set divides into four tour SKUs (Where the West Begins 30-min, Cowboy Tour 40-min, Lone Star Tour 50-min, Big Tex Sports Tour 2-pax), on-demand private charters throughout DFW and Texas, and a portfolio of event and experience add-ons including gender reveals ($850+), golf ball drops ($850+), aerial photography and property surveys ($615/hr on R-44), utility inspection and patrol, and wedding transportation coordinated across an approved-venue network of 16+ DFW locations. Premium destination experiences bundle flights with partner venues at Lost Oak Winery and Oak Meadow Ranch. Booking is self-serve online via Peek for tours and via a contact form for charters, weddings, and custom work; gift cards are sold through Square checkout.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time, per-flight or per-event unit pricing — typically pay-as-you-go per seat or per mission — with charter and wedding services requiring full upfront payment and a tiered cancellation policy. The customer base is fragmented across tourists and sightseers, individual corporate/charter clients, wedding parties, event organizers, and a smaller commercial segment using R-44 and full-fleet aerial survey work. No parent company, funding history, or revenue disclosure is available; the company operates as an independent regional operator with a workforce in the 11-50 range.

Name

Longhorn Helicopters

Legal name

Longhorn Helicopters

Website

https://longhornhelicopters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Longhorn Helicopters is a Fort Worth-based helicopter tour, private charter, and aerial-event operator serving the DFW metroplex with a five-aircraft fleet spanning tours, charters, weddings, and aerial photography.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Helicopter Charter and Tour Services

akta.pro primary industry

Helicopter Air Taxi / Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Services (TLAFACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Helicopter Event & VIP Transport Services (TLAFACAG), Helicopter Airport Transfers & Ground-Connection Shuttles (TLAFACAE), Helicopter Resort & Remote Destination Transfers (TLAFACAF), VIP/Executive Helicopter Transport (THABAGAH)

Keywords

• Helicopter tour services
• Private charter flights
• Aerial event services
• Scenic flight experiences
• DFW helicopter operator

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Helicopter Tours: Scenic helicopter tours of DFW area attractions including Downtown Fort Worth, Dallas landmarks, AT&T Stadium, Six Flags Over Texas, and Texas Live. Tours range from 30-50 minutes with varying passenger capacity and pricing per seat.
2. Private Charter Services: On-demand private helicopter charters throughout DFW and across Texas, providing point-to-point transportation bypassing ground traffic. Revenue based on flight duration, distance, and aircraft type.
3. Gender Reveals: Gender reveal packages using helicopter-dropped items at event venues. Starting price of $850 per event, with restrictions on populated areas.
4. Golf Ball Drops: Helicopter golf ball drops for events at DFW golf courses, starting at $850. Includes Easter egg/candy drops during March-April. Requires written approval from venue.
5. Aerial Photography and Property Survey: Aerial photography and survey flights for real estate, construction, and planning purposes. Robinson R-44 at $615/hr as most cost-effective option, with whole fleet available upon request.
6. Utility Services - Inspection and Patrol: Inspection and patrol missions for infrastructure monitoring, emergency response support, and survey requirements. Flown by experienced crews in complex environments.
7. Custom Experiences: Premium experiences including winery tours at Lost Oak Winery, weddings at partner venues, and dining experiences at Oak Meadow Ranch with 4-course meals and exotic animal encounters. Food add-ons and private experiences available at higher rates.
8. Gift Cards: Gift cards available for all tour experiences, purchasable as digital cards, picked up locally, or mailed. Cards expire 12 months from purchase date.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Longhorn Helicopters is a helicopter tour and charter operator headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, providing scenic aerial tours, private charter flights, and special-event aerial services—including gender reveals, golf ball drops, aerial photography, utility flights, and wedding services—to individuals and groups across the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area using a fleet of light helicopters.

Product overview

Longhorn Helicopters is a premier helicopter charter and tour operator serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The company operates a unified service offering built around its fleet of five aircraft (Bell 407, AS350 B2, Bell 505, Bell 206, and Robinson R-44). The core product portfolio consists of sightseeing tours (Where the West Begins, Cowboy Tour, Lone Star Tour, and Big Tex Sports Tour), private charter services across DFW and Texas, and special event experiences (gender reveals, golf ball drops, weddings). The company also provides commercial services including aerial photography/property surveys and utility inspection/patrol. Gift cards are offered as an add-on for tour experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Helicopter Sightseeing Tours Scenic aerial sightseeing flights offered to consumers over the Dallas-Fort Worth area, using helicopters configured to carry 3–6 passengers depending on the aircraft selected.
• Private Helicopter Charters On-demand private helicopter charter service providing customers with dedicated aircraft use for custom flights in and around DFW.
• Gender Reveal Flights Specialized helicopter flight experience in which expectant parents conduct or film a gender reveal from the air, aimed at personal milestone celebrations.
• Golf Ball Drop Service Helicopter-based ball drop service used by golf tournaments, charity events, and fundraisers where balls are dropped from the air onto a target on the ground.
• Aerial Photography Flights Helicopter flights supporting aerial photography and videography shoots for individual, commercial, or event clients who need elevated imagery.
• Utility Helicopter Services Specialized helicopter utility work flights serving operational, commercial, or industrial use cases distinct from leisure tours.
• Wedding Helicopter Services Helicopter flights arranged for weddings and related celebrations, providing aerial transport, flyovers, or photo opportunities for engaged couples.
• Custom Helicopter Experiences Bespoke helicopter experiences designed around a customer's specific itinerary, occasion, or objective beyond the standard tour or charter offerings.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lost Oak WineryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-branded helicopter and wine experience offering tastings, tours, and private options. Longhorn provides helicopter transportation to winery location. Guided tours include 60-minute flight plus 30-minute wine tasting of 4 wines.
• Oak Meadow RanchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelicopter experience destination featuring 4-course meal and exotic animal encounter. Reservations required in advance. Longhorn provides transportation from Fort Worth to ranch location.
• 4T RanchminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures.
• Aristide - McKinneyminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures.
• Bella CavalliminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures.
• D'Vine Grace VineyardminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures.
• Dove Ridge VineyardminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures.
• Knotting Hill PlaceminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures.
• Oak Meadow RanchminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures. Also serves as experience destination.
• The OlanaminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures.
• The Milestone Mansion - DentonminorOthersWedding venue with approved helicopter landing area for wedding party arrivals and departures.
• Peek Booking PlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party booking platform integrated into website for tour reservations, providing online scheduling, availability management, and payment processing for tour experiences.
• Square Payment ProcessingcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing platform (Square) used for gift card purchases and checkout transactions on the company's e-commerce storefront.
• Bailey Rae Co.minorOthersPhotography vendor referenced for wedding and experience documentation. Collaborates with Longhorn for capturing helicopter experiences.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Chicago Helicopter Experience: Midwest-based helicopter tour and charter operator offering scheduled tours, private charters, and special-occasion experiences comparable to Longhorn's product stack in a different region.
• Zip Aviation: New York City helicopter tour and charter operator running sightseeing tours and on-demand charters from a downtown heliport — a regional analog to Longhorn's tour-plus-charter model.
• Phoenix Heli Tours: Scottsdale/Phoenix-based helicopter tour and charter operator with a similar single-metro scenic + charter + wedding product set serving a different Southwest geography.

Broad incumbents

• HeliFlite: Northeast US helicopter charter operator focused on corporate and private chartered flights — directly comparable to Longhorn's charter use case and shared DFW-style airport-convenience positioning.
• Associated Aircraft Group: East Coast Part 135 helicopter charter operator serving corporate, utility, and private customers — a comparable FAA-certificate-holder peer with similar charter + commercial mission mix.
• Blade Air Mobility: Multi-city urban air mobility and chartered helicopter platform offering on-demand airport transfers and by-the-seat flights — overlaps directly with Longhorn's UAM/self-positioned charter and airport-transfer use case.

Others

• Helicopter Institute: Flight-training school already referenced on Longhorn's own website navigation; an adjacent ecosystem participant that could expand Longhorn's addressable services into pilot training.

Direct peers

• Maverick Helicopters: Operates scheduled scenic tours plus private charters across Las Vegas and other US markets with a comparable multi-aircraft fleet and similar tour-plus-event revenue model.
• Sundance Helicopters: Las Vegas helicopter tour and charter operator offering scheduled scenic flights and private charters — directly comparable product set to Longhorn's tour portfolio.
• Blue Hawaiian Helicopters: Hawaii-based helicopter tour and charter operator running scheduled sightseeing tours and custom experiences under FAA Part 135 — the closest analog by business model to Longhorn's tour-plus-charter mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/longhorn-helicopters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Longhorn Helicopters