Outdoor attractions & tours

Books and taxes for helicopter tour operators.

Sightseeing flight sales, charter and proposal flights, aviation fuel that runs high, and landing fees at every stop along the route. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
JulyExample month
$45,500
what you made

July came in at $45,500. The helicopter's scheduled overhaul inspection is logged as maintenance, separate from fuel, so the real cost is easy to see.

  • Scenic flight ticket batchScenic flight sales
  • Private charter depositCharter flights
  • Aviation fuel deliveryAircraft fuel
  • Scheduled aircraft inspectionAircraft maintenance
  • Pilot payroll runPilot wages
Money in$168,000
Money out$122,500
Set aside for taxes$14,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Helicopter tour books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees ticket sales and a small aircraft operation. Your business burns aviation fuel at a real cost per flight, pays landing fees at every stop, and keeps the aircraft on a strict maintenance schedule that has nothing to do with how busy the month was. When the books do not know that, margin per flight stays invisible.

  1. 1

    Fuel and maintenance get lumped into one aircraft expense

    Aviation fuel is a per-flight cost, while scheduled inspections and overhauls happen on a maintenance calendar, not a booking calendar. Mixed together, you cannot see the true cost per flight versus the fixed cost of keeping the aircraft airworthy.

    What we doKeeps fuel and maintenance in separate lines, so cost per flight and required upkeep both stay visible on their own.
  2. 2

    Landing and facility fees get missed or buried

    A tour route with multiple stops often pays a landing fee at each one, and if those fees disappear into general expenses you cannot see what a route with three landing spots actually costs compared to one with a single pad.

    What we doKeeps landing and facility fees in their own line, so you can see what each route actually costs to fly.
  3. 3

    Charter and proposal flights get mixed with standard tours

    A private charter or a proposal flight usually sells for a different price and different length than a standard scenic tour, and mixing them hides which kind of flight actually drives revenue.

    What we doKeeps charter and add-on flights separate from standard scenic tour sales, so you can see which side of the business is carrying the other.
  4. 4

    A required overhaul looks like a bad month

    A scheduled major inspection or component replacement can cost tens of thousands of dollars in a single month, unrelated to how many tours flew.

    What we doFlags major maintenance work, books it as equipment when it extends the aircraft's service life, and gets the accountant's call on how it gets written off.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a helicopter tour operator.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Scenic flight salesStandard sightseeing tour tickets.
  • Charter flightsPrivate charters and proposal flights, sold separately from standard tours.
  • Corporate and event bookingsGroup buyouts for company events.
  • Online travel agency bookingsSales through Viator or GetYourGuide, at full ticket price.

Money out

  • Aircraft fuelAviation fuel, tracked against flights flown.
  • Aircraft maintenanceScheduled inspections, overhauls, and component work.
  • Pilot wagesPilot pay, whether salaried or per flight.
  • Landing and facility feesFees paid at each stop along a route.
  • Aviation insuranceAircraft and liability coverage, usually a major fixed cost.
  • Hangar feesWhere the aircraft is kept between flights.

What we watch for you

  • Fuel cost per flight

    Aviation fuel against flights flown, so real cost per tour stays visible.

  • Landing fee cost by route

    What each route pays in landing fees, so pricing accounts for it clearly.

  • Charter share of income

    How much of the month comes from private charters versus standard scenic tours.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things helicopter tour owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

Our scheduled aircraft inspection cost a lot this month. Is that the same as fuel?

No, I keep them in separate lines. Fuel tracks with flights, but the inspection is on a required schedule, so it needed its own place to be visible.

Our coastal route lands at three different spots. Does that cost show up anywhere?

Yes, I keep landing and facility fees in their own line, so you can see exactly what a multi-stop route costs compared to a single-pad tour.

A couple booked a proposal charter flight. Does that count the same as a regular tour ticket?

No, I keep charter and proposal flights separate from standard scenic sales, so you can see which side of the business is actually driving revenue.

The tax side

The tax side of a helicopter tour operator.

Most of what goes wrong here is keeping fuel, required maintenance, and route-specific fees each in their own place instead of one aircraft expense.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Aircraft depreciationThe helicopter and major component work are business equipment. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025, and Section 179 can often write off qualifying maintenance work in the year it is done.
  • Worker classification for pilotsPilots who follow your schedule and route assignments are usually employees, even if paid per flight rather than salaried.
  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like a relief pilot brought on for a busy weekend, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions helicopter tour operators miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Aviation fuel
  • Scheduled aircraft inspections
  • Component and engine work
  • Landing and facility fees
  • Hangar fees
  • Aviation and liability insurance
  • Pilot certification renewal
  • Radios and ground communication
  • Booking app fees
  • Online travel agency commissions
  • Uniforms and crew gear
  • Weather monitoring service

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A helicopter tour year, kept every month.

Your busiest flight days follow clear skies and tourist season. Your taxes come on a schedule regardless. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so a slow stretch does not catch you short.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed ahead of the busy spring and summer flight season.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand at the height of flight season, and whether fuel cost per flight is holding steady.

  4. October

    Before the slowdown

    A look at aircraft maintenance worth scheduling before winter and anything worth buying before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for helicopter tour operators. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions helicopter tour owners ask first.

Can Gus separate fuel costs from scheduled aircraft maintenance?

Yes. Fuel tracks against flights flown, while maintenance runs on a required schedule, so keeping them apart shows the real cost of each clearly.

Our route lands at multiple spots and pays a fee at each one. Does that get tracked?

Yes. Landing and facility fees get their own line, so you can see exactly what a multi-stop route costs compared to a single-pad tour.

We had a major scheduled overhaul this year. Is that fully deductible right away?

Often it can be. Major aircraft work that extends the helicopter's service life gets logged as equipment, and the accountant decides how much comes off this year.

Do charter and proposal flights get counted the same as standard tours?

No. They get their own line, since they usually sell at a different price and length, so you can see which side of the business is driving revenue.

Our books are behind after a busy summer. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand within a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever