Safety First with Over The Top Helicopters

Award-Winning Heli Safety Standards

Over The Top is the only Queenstown helicopter operator to consistently receive the International Helicopter Operator Safety Award, recognising our world-class dedication to passenger safety. We have also been honoured by the New Zealand Helicopter Association (NZHA) for our outstanding long-term safety record.

Why Choose Over The Top Helicopters?

With internationally recognised safety systems, expert maintenance, advanced technology, and award-winning pilots, Over The Top is committed to providing the safest helicopter tours in New Zealand. Your safety will always come first—without compromise.

Certified Safety Management System

Our robust Safety Management System has been certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand’s State Safety Programme, which follows international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Risks are continuously identified and reduced to the lowest practicable level.

Regular internal and third-party audits ensure ongoing compliance and improvement.

Our senior management team and every staff member take personal responsibility for maintaining the highest safety standards.

Our Queenstown Helicopters Feature Advanced Safety Technology

Every aircraft is equipped with advanced tracking and monitoring tools, including:

V2 Track satellite tracking and text communication, allowing real-time monitoring of each helicopter.

EYE IN THE SKY cockpit data recorders to further enhance flight safety.

Expert Maintenance and Skilled Pilots

All our Queenstown helicopters are maintained to the highest standards by Heli Support NZ. Our team of highly skilled pilots bring years of experience flying in the unique alpine and varied environments we operate in.

Pilots undergo regular, comprehensive training.

Weather and flight conditions are continually assessed to ensure maximum safety.

If conditions are not suitable, we review alternatives such as new routes or rescheduling to ensure a safe helicopter experience for every guest.

Risk Disclosure

Helicopter operations involve inherent risks and hazards. While Over The Top mitigates these as far as is reasonably practical, a certain level of risk remains. 

On our excursions, we also visit locations with their own environmental, climactic and geological hazards. At these remote locations, hazards include but are not limited to uneven or unstable ground, slippery snow and ice, rapidly changing weather, wind speed, wind chill, bodies of extremely cold water, sun exposure and landslides. 

Having decided to visit these locations by helicopter, the best way to assure your own safety is by ensuring you listen to and follow instructions given by your Over The Top pilots, ground crew and/or guides.

Risk Disclosure – Milford Sound and Fiordland

Powerful natural forces have shaped Aotearoa New Zealand over millions of years. Earthquakes and volcanoes lifted these beautiful islands out of the Pacific Ocean. They have created the dramatic landscapes we enjoy today.

Dramatic and ever-changing, Piopiotahi Milford Sound is one of the world’s most spectacular and special environments. Its steep, glacier-carved mountains and deep fiord have been shaped by powerful geological forces over millions of years. The area is exposed to risk from a range of natural hazards. These can occur at any time, and some can happen without warning. Of all the hazards, large earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis pose the greatest risk to people at Piopiotahi Milford Sound.

Like the rest of Aotearoa New Zealand, small earthquakes occur regularly in Fiordland. We don’t feel them and they don’t bother us. These small movements are a normal part of how the land works and do not pose a risk to people. Sometimes, minor earthquakes in or near Fiordland are felt. They might shake objects on a shelf or rattle a window, but they do not cause major impacts or disrupt your visit.

A large earthquake or tsunami is extremely unlikely during your visit, especially a short one. Even so, these hazards do pose a risk to life at Milford Sound. If one occurs while you are there, your options to stay safe are limited.

What to do: In an earthquake, DROP, COVER and HOLD until shaking stops. If an earthquake feels LONG or STRONG, Get GONE. Move up and away from waterways (the fiord and rivers) as quickly as possible. If you see/hear a landslide, move up and away from waterways (the fiord and rivers) as quickly as possible. 

Know before you go: Click here to find out more from Civil Defence NZ