The Flying Pepsi Can

In 2004 Pepsi was presented by Airvision with a world first aerial creation, a flying ram air inflatable Pepsi can.

After more than a year of design, fabrication and testing, the first flight didn’t go as planned. Once the can inflated, the helicopter couldn’t move forward. Without larger baffles at the rear, the can behaved like a giant windsock, catching the air sideways and dragging heavily. The pilot radioed that he could barely make eight knots.

The fix came through trial and error. We gradually increased the baffle size to allow more air to flow through while keeping enough pressure to hold the can fully inflated. Step by step we found the balance. Go too far and it wouldn’t inflate, pull back slightly and it held shape perfectly. The final configuration allowed forward speed of around 30 knots with full inflation.

The finished Pepsi can measured fifteen metres long and seven metres wide.

In 2004 we towed it all over Sydney using the HOBS system across beaches, overland routes and above the harbour. It was an exciting time, creating something completely new and unlike any standard aerial banner.