James McIlvenny | Founder & Chief Pilot
About BFC Air Safaris
Let’s Go Flying!
Air Safaris Australia is the sister company of Brisbane Flight Charter; it's an adventurous younger sister, if you will. Brisbane Flight Charter is a flight charter and air tours company founded by James McIlvenny in 2016. Family-run and owned, we love to fly and explore!
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James is an energetic aviator who has been flying since he was 14 years old--and many hours of flight simulator games before that. Training in Adelaide, he loves to be in the air! These tours were created from his passion to fly, sharing the wonderous Australian aerial landscapes he loves.
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Our philosophy is that by sharing in the incredible Australian aerial landscapes and unique experiences, we provide a connection to these beautiful vistas and fulfil the great sense of adventure we all deeply share.
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We love to fly and we love to share the great Australian landscapes with those who have not had the privilege of meeting them yet!
You can find out more about the other characters behind the scenes and our aircraft below!
Our Planes
Our Aircraft on tour is either a Piper Chieftain or a Cessna 208 Caravan. Both are 10 seat workhorses of the outback. With a full load of passengers and bags, we can fly around 700 km with an hour of reserve fuel. We try to stop every two hours to give everyone a chance to stretch. With two piston engines or one turbine engine, delightful flying characteristics, comfortable seats and great load carrying capacity for their type, the Piper Chieftain or Caravan will continue to be a staple of Australian aviation for years to come.
Why have we added the Cessna 208 Caravan? In a word reliability. Turbine engines have a much higher level of reliability than a piston engine plus the large windows are great for touring.
Other Characters
Our amazing team! We are literally one big supportive family, working together to make all our and your travel dreams come true.
Carolyn McIlvenny | Flight Coordinator
Mumma Mac is a passionate aviator herself; she is the journey coordinator and coordinates all the amazing stops, accommodations and tours, so you don’t have to do a thing! When not on the phone, you can find her in the sky in her single prop or down at the boat ramp with her energetic pomeranian.
Samantha Ng | Booking Wizard
Samantha (Sammi) will help you with all your booking needs, will send out our welcome packs and answer any questions you might have about the tours. Samantha is an experienced travel consultant who, when not dreaming of new holidays, can be found by her potter’s wheel or testing out Asian restaurants all over town.
Kelly Mac | Media Gal
The resident word wizard and happy snapper, Kelly, is our media gal and James’ older sister. A professional photographer and educator, she develops our content and media. When not working you can find her snapping photos underwater, sipping iced lattes or taking her big german shepherd out into nature.
@kellymacmedia