Sydney Harbour Bridge Turns 75 — and We Fly a World First

In March 2007, Sydney celebrated the 75th anniversary of its most iconic landmark—the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I was asked to contribute something special for the occasion: an aerial display featuring a giant Australian flag banner towed by helicopter.

But we didn’t stop there.

As part of the celebration, we introduced a world-first innovation: a water banner flight system. Until then, no one had ever flown a helicopter banner using a boat instead of a helicopter. We had just completed the design and wanted to showcase it on the biggest stage possible.

Testing took place on my own property—a 400-acre stretch of open land. Since we didn’t have a boat handy, I figured a Toyota Land Cruiser would do the trick. In a large paddock, we hitched the custom water banner system to the back of the 4WD and took off at speed. The system included a specially designed parachute to create lift. It worked better than expected.

At full speed, the lift was so strong it actually raised the back wheels of the Land Cruiser about 40cm off the ground. I was effectively driving downhill—front wheels on the earth, rear wheels airborne—as a 1,500 square metre banner soared behind me. It was bizarre, thrilling, and oddly hilarious.

Come celebration day, we had the helicopter banner flying proudly over Sydney. But the real showstopper was the boat-towed banner on the water. We launched it from the wharfs and, after carefully calculating the clearance under the Harbour Bridge, adjusted the towline to give us just 10 metres of safety margin.

It worked flawlessly.

As the helicopter flew over the bridge, the boat-pulled banner flew under it—perfectly timed and executed. It was a spectacular visual moment that turned heads and cameras across the harbour. After the event, I received a signed letter from the NSW Government commending the innovation and flawless delivery.

Another first in the skies—and seas—for the record books.