Seven banners. Seven helicopters. One race. One record.
Updated: Feb 5
In 2001, we pulled off something that had never been done before — flying seven helicopter banners during the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
Seven clients meant seven helicopters, seven pilots, seven ground crews, seven rigging systems, and the transport of a mountain of banners and equipment to the take-off site. The area could only handle two banner launches at a time, so we built a military-style operation to keep everything moving — launches, landings, refuelling, and pack-downs running like clockwork.
Production was brutal.
Six weeks to deliver all banners. We split into two teams — day and night — working 24/7. The factory never slept. Back then, without today’s digital printing, it was a grind. With modern tech, we’d have halved the time.
Each helicopter flew six hours, clocking up 42 collective flight hours. Our solution? A “follow-the-leader” formation with strict 500-metre spacing, circling the harbour, beaches, and coastline.
It worked. At that moment, it was the most helicopter banners in the sky anywhere in the world. The closest anyone has come since was five banners at the Melbourne Formula 1 in the early 2000s.
The clients: Coca-Cola, AXA, Mazda, Vodafone, Foxtel, Qantas, DHL.
A high-wire act in every sense — logistics, production, and aerial precision — and one of the proudest milestones in our company’s history.
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