Finally, in January 1998, the Band's “Miss Saigon” show put them on top. The music was taken from the Santa Clara Vanguard's show in 1991, but the outstanding feature of the show was a nearly full scale helicopter that was assembled by members of the Church. Since the door onto the competition field at the Budokan was very small, the helicopter had to be assembled in the back of the field during the Band's show and then hoisted on a scissor lift just as it made its appearance. A member of the Band sat inside the helicopter and operated the crank that spun the huge propeller. As the helicopter appeared at the end of the show, the crowd response was overwhelming and at the very end, the entire helicopter was spun around to create a very dramatic effect. With this victory, the Band's first at the All Japan Marching Band and Baton Twirling Association Championships, Mr. Sekine was inspired to come up with more spectacular and unusual effects to introduce in future shows.
