Taking to the Skies: How Airvision’s Helicopter Banner System Went Global

In 2000, following formal approvals by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), it was time to take our revolutionary overland helicopter banner system to the world.

The USA: A Defining Launch

The first international destination was the United States. Since CASA and the FAA operate under comparable regulatory frameworks, we were cleared to fly across the entire country. Then, in 2001—just after the tragic events of 9/11—we were contacted to fly a giant American flag around Manhattan. That flight marked the official launch of our U.S. operations. It led to partnerships with helicopter operators across the country and laid the foundation for large-scale aerial banner advertising in the region.

Next came Japan. After a week of rigorous drop tests and flight demonstrations for the Japanese aviation authority, operations kicked off with a campaign for a major sake company. Each country brought its own approval processes, and Japan was no exception—with detailed paperwork, regulatory scrutiny, and flight validation required before any banner could take to the skies.

Spearheading these international operations was Sohn Herbert, who became the cornerstone of Airvision’s global rollout. Over a three-year period, Sohn travelled the world, overseeing pilot training, managing flight operations, and supervising the rigging and launching of our massive banners. His responsibilities were vast—covering everything from live flight testing to negotiating long-term commercial arrangements with leading advertising agencies in each country.

Infrastructure and Logistics

To support global expansion, we needed multiple banner rigging systems tailored to different aircraft types and local conditions. Equally important was the training of ground crews to safely manage and prepare these systems for flight. Transporting our banners—each several cubic metres when packed—was no small task. DHL became our logistics partner, managing global freight movements and ensuring banners arrived on time and intact.

As operations ramped up, our banner production capabilities needed to grow with it. What started as a specialised product in Australia soon required international scale. Airvision Aviation—then operating under names like Skylark, SkyCom, and BBA—remained the only company in the world specialising in overland helicopter banner operations.

New Territories, New Milestones

From the USA and Japan, we expanded into India, Thailand, England, Spain, France, Italy, Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, Brazil...and many more. This marked the peak era of helicopter banner advertising. At our height, a banner was being built or flown somewhere in the world every week.