Terms and ConditionsUpdated 11 hours ago
1. Who we are
HeliDirect is a U.S.-based specialty retailer for radio-controlled aircraft, helicopters, surface vehicles, batteries, and related hobby products. Our principal place of business is in Middletown, Indiana.
You can contact us:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 1-877-439-4354 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST)
- Mail: HeliDirect, [insert mailing address], Middletown, IN [ZIP]
- Help Center: help.helidirect.com
2. Who can use the Site
You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, place an order, or enter into a contract with HeliDirect. If you are between 13 and 17, you may browse the Site only with a parent or legal guardian's involvement, and any purchase must be placed by an adult on your behalf.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. See our Privacy Policy for details.
By using the Site, you represent that you have the legal capacity and authority to agree to these Terms.
3. Your account
You can shop as a guest, but creating an account makes order history, returns, and support easier.
You agree to:
- Provide accurate, current information when you sign up.
- Keep your password confidential. You're responsible for everything that happens under your account.
- Notify us right away if you suspect unauthorized access — [email protected].
We may suspend or close accounts that violate these Terms, show signs of fraud, or are used to harass our staff or other customers.
4. Products, pricing, and availability
We do our best to describe and price products accurately, but errors happen.
Product information
Product images, descriptions, weights, dimensions, color, and compatibility notes are for general reference. Manufacturers sometimes change specifications without notice. If a product detail matters for your build, email us at [email protected] before ordering and we'll confirm.
Pricing
All prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. Prices, promotions, and availability can change without notice. Sales tax is added at checkout where applicable — see our Sales Tax Policy.
Pricing or listing errors
Despite our best efforts, a product on the Site may occasionally be listed at the wrong price or with incorrect information due to a typographical error, system error, or bad data from a supplier. We reserve the right to cancel any order placed for a product listed at an incorrect price, even after the order is confirmed and your payment method has been charged.
If we cancel an order for this reason, we will:
- Contact you with the corrected price so you can decide whether to repurchase.
- Issue a full refund to your original payment method for the canceled order.
This applies regardless of whether the error was on our end or our supplier's.
Availability
In-stock indicators reflect our best real-time data, but inventory can shift between checkout and warehouse pick. If an item turns out to be unavailable, we'll contact you with options: wait for restock, substitute, or cancel and refund. See the Order Cancellation & Modification Policy for the full process.
5. Orders and payment
Placing an order
When you place an order through helidirect.com or by phone, you are making an offer to purchase the items in your cart at the displayed price. Your order is not accepted until we send a shipping confirmation email. Our order confirmation email is an acknowledgment that we received your order — it is not acceptance.
We reserve the right to modify, cancel, decline, or hold any order at our discretion, including (but not limited to) orders that:
- Fail our fraud verification screen.
- Have mismatched billing and shipping information.
- Exceed published quantity limits or appear to be reseller buys.
- Ship to a country or region we do not serve (see Section 7).
- Are placed for a product listed at an incorrect price (see Section 4).
- Violate these Terms or any applicable law.
If we decline or cancel your order, we will refund any amount charged in full to your original payment method.
Payment
We accept the payment methods displayed at checkout (currently major credit and debit cards, PayPal, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay). All transactions are processed by PCI-compliant payment processors. We do not store full credit card numbers on our servers.
By placing an order, you authorize HeliDirect (or its payment processor) to charge your chosen payment method for the full order amount, including tax and shipping where applicable.
Refund processing
Refunds are issued to the original payment method. We process refunds on our end within 1–2 business days; funds typically appear on your statement within 3–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. HeliDirect is not responsible for delays caused by the issuing bank.
Fraud verification
High-value orders, orders with mismatched information, and orders that hit our fraud screen may be held briefly for verification. We may contact you to confirm identity, billing match, or card-issuer authorization. Orders we cannot verify are canceled and refunded in full — no penalty to you.
6. Shipping, delivery, and risk of loss
Full shipping details — methods, transit times, free shipping eligibility, battery shipping rules, and damaged-or-lost-package handling — live in the Shipping Policy.
A few points worth calling out here:
- Same-day shipping cutoff: 1:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday. We do not ship on weekends or U.S. federal holidays.
- Risk of loss: Title and risk of loss pass to you when the carrier takes possession of your order. From that point forward, the carrier is responsible for the package. We file carrier claims on your behalf for damage or loss in transit when reported within the time windows in the Shipping Policy.
- Address changes: Once an order enters fulfillment (typically within about 1 hour of placement), the address is locked. See the Order Cancellation & Modification Policy.
- Carrier-backed delivery guarantees apply only to UPS Next Day Air, UPS 2nd Day Air, and UPS 3 Day Select. All other transit times are carrier estimates.
- International shipping: Duties, customs fees, brokerage, and import VAT are the customer's responsibility. We declare the full purchase value with accurate documentation. We do not undervalue shipments.
7. Restricted destinations and export compliance
We do not ship to countries under active U.S. OFAC sanctions (currently including Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Syria; this list may change). Orders to sanctioned destinations are canceled and refunded.
You agree not to use the Site to evade U.S. export controls or to resell HeliDirect products to a restricted party or destination. If we have reason to believe an order is structured to circumvent export controls, we will cancel it.
8. Returns, exchanges, and warranty
Our full policies live here:
- Returns & Exchanges Policy — 30-day return window for unused items, restocking-fee schedule, and what's final sale.
- Warranty Policy — 7-day damage-on-arrival window handled by HeliDirect; manufacturer warranty for everything after.
In short:
- Final sale (no returns): any product that has been flown, driven, sailed, or otherwise used; clearance items; open-box items; gift cards; charged or used LiPo batteries.
- Manufacturer warranties pass through to you. HeliDirect facilitates and escalates manufacturer warranty cases through our distributor relationships, but we are not a third-party repair center for brands we don't make.
- For products we make (Pulse, FPV Direct), HeliDirect warrants directly per the Warranty Policy.
The remedies set out in the Returns Policy and Warranty Policy are your exclusive remedies for any defective, damaged, or non-conforming product, except where applicable law gives you additional non-waivable rights.
9. Use of the Site — what you can and can't do
You may use the Site for personal, non-commercial purposes related to browsing, purchasing, and supporting our products. You may not:
- Use the Site in any way that violates U.S., state, local, or international law.
- Use the Site to transmit malware, viruses, spam, or any code designed to disrupt or damage the Site or other users.
- Scrape, harvest, mirror, or copy substantial portions of the Site or our product catalog without our written permission.
- Resell HeliDirect products to a sanctioned party or restricted destination.
- Impersonate any person, misrepresent your affiliation, or use the Site to defraud anyone.
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, any account, or any system connected to it.
- Use the Site or our content in any way that infringes our intellectual property or that of any third party.
- Harass, threaten, or abuse our staff or other customers.
We may suspend or terminate your access for any of the above without prior notice.
10. Intellectual property
The Site and its content — including product photos, descriptions, articles, videos, logos, page layouts, code, and other materials we create — are owned by HeliDirect or our licensors and are protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, and trade dress laws.
"HeliDirect" and the HeliDirect logo are trademarks of HeliDirect. Other marks on the Site (Spektrum, SAB Goblin, Goosky, XLPower, Pulse, and so on) belong to their respective owners. Listing a brand on our Site does not imply endorsement by that brand beyond our authorized-dealer relationships.
You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, or otherwise use any HeliDirect content for any commercial purpose without our prior written permission. Personal, non-commercial use — bookmarking pages, sharing a product link with a friend, printing a manual for your own build — is fine.
If you submit reviews, photos, videos, comments, or other user content to the Site, you grant HeliDirect a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, and adapt that content for our marketing and operations. You represent that you own the rights to anything you submit.
11. Safety — RC products carry inherent risk
Read this section. It matters.
Radio-controlled aircraft, helicopters, drones, cars, boats, and jet turbines are not toys. They contain spinning blades, high-current electrical systems, lithium batteries, and (for some models) gas turbines. Operated without skill or care, they can cause serious injury, death, property damage, or fire.
By purchasing from HeliDirect, you acknowledge and agree that:
a) End-user responsibility
You are solely responsible for:
- Selection. Choosing parts, components, and complete models appropriate for your skill level and intended use.
- Assembly and setup. Final assembly, programming, calibration, and pre-flight checks.
- Operation. Safe operation of every product, including following the manufacturer's instructions, flying within line of sight where required, respecting altitude and airspace rules, and keeping bystanders, animals, and property clear.
- Legal compliance. Following all federal, state, and local laws that apply to the product — including FAA registration and Remote ID for drones, AMA rules at insured flying fields, and any state or local restrictions.
- Maintenance. Inspecting components for wear, fatigue, or damage before each use and replacing parts at appropriate intervals.
b) Battery safety
Lithium polymer (LiPo) and lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries pose a fire risk if mishandled. You are solely responsible for the safe charging, storage, handling, transport, and disposal of every battery you purchase from HeliDirect, including:
- Using a charger appropriate for the battery's chemistry, cell count, and capacity.
- Charging in a fire-safe location, using a LiPo charging bag where appropriate, and never charging unattended.
- Inspecting batteries before each use and disposing of swollen, puncture-damaged, or end-of-life packs through a proper hazardous waste channel.
HeliDirect is not liable for fire, injury, death, property damage, or loss arising from battery use, charging, storage, transport, or disposal.
c) FAA, AMA, and local rules (drones and aircraft)
If your purchase includes a drone, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter, or other unmanned aircraft, you are responsible for complying with applicable FAA rules (registration, Remote ID, recreational vs. commercial operating rules), AMA rules at insured flying fields, and any state or local restrictions. HeliDirect does not provide legal advice on airspace or operations; check faa.gov and your local club rules before flying.
d) Modifications
Any modification to a product — including soldering, painting, firmware changes, cutting, replacing manufacturer-supplied components, or operating outside the manufacturer's specifications — is at your sole risk and voids the manufacturer's warranty.
12. Disclaimer of warranties
To the maximum extent permitted by law:
The Site, our content, and all products sold through the Site are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. HeliDirect makes no warranties of any kind, express or implied, regarding the Site or products beyond (a) the express written warranties stated in our Warranty Policy, and (b) any manufacturer warranty that passes through to you.
We expressly disclaim all implied warranties, including the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement, except to the extent these warranties cannot be excluded under applicable law.
We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components, or that any defects will be corrected.
Some U.S. states do not allow the exclusion of certain implied warranties, so portions of this section may not apply to you. This section gives you specific legal rights; you may have other rights that vary by state.
13. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:
HeliDirect's total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms, your use of the Site, or any product purchased from HeliDirect shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid HeliDirect for the specific product giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100.00).
In no event will HeliDirect, its owners, officers, employees, agents, or service providers be liable to you or any third party for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or exemplary damages — including lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, business interruption, personal injury, property damage, or crash damage to any model, aircraft, or accessory — arising out of or relating to your use of the Site or any product purchased from us, whether the claim is in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or otherwise, even if we have been advised of the possibility of those damages.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so portions of this section may not apply to you.
This limitation does not apply to: (i) liability for death or personal injury caused by HeliDirect's gross negligence or willful misconduct, (ii) any other liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law, or (iii) the express remedies set out in our Returns Policy and Warranty Policy.
14. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless HeliDirect, its owners, officers, directors, employees, agents, affiliates, and service providers from and against any third-party claim, demand, loss, liability, damage, settlement, judgment, fine, cost, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to:
- Your breach of these Terms or any policy referenced in them.
- Your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.
- Your use of any HeliDirect product, including any damage, injury, or loss you cause to yourself, others, or property.
- Any user content you submit to the Site.
- Any modification you make to a product.
We may, at our sole discretion, assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification. You agree to cooperate with our defense of any claim.
15. Governing law and dispute resolution
a) Governing law
These Terms and any dispute between you and HeliDirect are governed by the laws of the State of Indiana, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. The U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.
b) Informal resolution first
Before filing a formal claim, you agree to contact us in writing at [email protected] and give us a reasonable opportunity (at least 30 days) to resolve the issue informally. Most disputes are resolved this way.
c) Binding individual arbitration
Read this section carefully — it affects your legal rights.
If we can't resolve a dispute informally, you and HeliDirect agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Site, or any product purchased from HeliDirect — including the scope, applicability, or enforceability of this arbitration provision — will be resolved by binding individual arbitration in Middletown, Indiana (or, at your election, by video or telephone conference) before a single arbitrator, administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules then in effect.
The arbitrator's decision is final and binding. Either party may enter judgment on the award in any court of competent jurisdiction.
d) Class action waiver
You and HeliDirect each agree that any claim will be brought solely in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any form of representative or class proceeding. If a court decides this class waiver is unenforceable, the entire arbitration section is void.
e) Small-claims carve-out
Either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court in the county of the other party's residence or principal place of business, so long as the claim stays in that court and is not removed or appealed to a court of general jurisdiction.
f) Exception — intellectual property and injunctive relief
Notwithstanding the above, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in court to protect intellectual property rights or to enforce confidentiality obligations.
g) 30-day right to opt out of arbitration
You may opt out of the arbitration and class-action-waiver provisions of this section by sending written notice of your opt-out to [email protected] within 30 days of first agreeing to these Terms. Your notice must include your name, mailing address, email address, and a clear statement that you are opting out of arbitration. Opting out has no effect on any other part of these Terms.
h) Jury trial waiver
If for any reason a dispute proceeds in court rather than arbitration, both parties waive any right to a jury trial.
16. SMS / MMS mobile messaging program
This section governs your participation in HeliDirect's SMS/MMS marketing program (the "Program"), in addition to the rest of these Terms and our Privacy Policy.
a) Opt-in
By providing your mobile number and opting in (through a checkout checkbox, keyword campaign, or account setting), you agree to receive recurring, automated marketing text messages from HeliDirect at the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies.
b) Program content
The Program may include checkout reminders, restock alerts, sale notifications, abandoned-cart messages, and other marketing related to RC products.
c) Opt-out
Reply STOP, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, or QUIT to any HeliDirect text to opt out. You may receive a confirmation message. Variations of these keywords (different spellings, extra words) may not be recognized by our platform — use one of the listed words exactly.
Texting a HeliDirect employee, emailing us, or calling our support line is not a valid opt-out method for the Program. Use one of the STOP keywords above.
d) Help
Reply HELP to any HeliDirect text for support, or email [email protected].
e) Carriers and delivery
The Program is available on most U.S. wireless carriers. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Message delivery depends on your carrier and is outside our control.
f) Eligibility
You must be 18 or older to join the Program, unless you are between 13 and 17 and have a parent or legal guardian's permission to participate.
g) Prohibited content
You agree not to send HeliDirect any unlawful, threatening, harassing, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable content; any content that violates HIPAA or HITECH; or any content that violates a third party's rights.
h) Dispute resolution
Disputes related to the Program are governed by the arbitration and class-action waiver provisions in Section 15 of these Terms.
i) Florida residents
If your shipping address is in Florida or your phone number uses a Florida area code, we will assume you are a Florida resident for purposes of the Florida Telemarketing Act and the Florida Do Not Call Act. You agree that messages we send in direct response to your messages or requests (responses to keywords, opt-in confirmations, help replies, shipping notifications, and similar transactional content) are not "telephonic sales calls" or "commercial telephone solicitation phone calls" under Florida Statutes Section 501.
j) Changes to the Program
We may change or end the Program at any time. Material changes will be communicated through a text message or email.
17. Third-party links
The Site may link to manufacturer pages, social media, YouTube videos, forums, or other third-party sites. We don't operate those sites and we're not responsible for their content, policies, or practices. Visiting a linked site is at your own risk.
18. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we'll change the "Last updated" date at the top of the page and post the new version here.
For material changes (e.g., changes to arbitration, dispute resolution, or fees), we'll provide additional notice — typically by email to account holders and a banner on the Site — at least 30 days before the change takes effect. Your continued use of the Site after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.
If you don't accept a material change, stop using the Site and close your account.
19. Termination
We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site, your account, or any service at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, including for any violation of these Terms.
Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 10 (Intellectual Property), 12 (Disclaimer of Warranties), 13 (Limitation of Liability), 14 (Indemnification), 15 (Governing Law & Dispute Resolution), and this Section 19 — will survive.
20. General
a) Entire agreement
These Terms, together with the policies referenced above, are the entire agreement between you and HeliDirect on the subjects they cover, and supersede any prior agreements or communications.
b) Severability
If any part of these Terms is held unenforceable, the rest stays in effect. The unenforceable part will be limited or revised so it can be enforced as closely as possible to the original intent — except for the class-action waiver in Section 15, which has its own severability rule.
c) No waiver
If we don't enforce a part of these Terms in a given situation, that's not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.
d) Assignment
You may not assign or transfer these Terms or any rights under them without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms freely as part of a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or by operation of law.
e) Force majeure
Neither party is liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond reasonable control — natural disasters, weather events, carrier disruptions, government action, labor disputes, pandemic, or similar.
f) Headings
Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.
g) No third-party beneficiaries
These Terms are between you and HeliDirect. No other person or company has any rights under them.
21. Contact
Questions about these Terms? We're a phone call or email away.
HeliDirectEmail: [email protected]Phone: 1-877-439-4354 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST) Mail: [insert physical mailing address], Middletown, IN [ZIP] Help Center: help.helidirect.com
HeliDirect's job doesn't end at checkout. If something about an order, a product, or these Terms isn't clear, email us — we'll work it out.