Helicopter Tug

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When I first saw this, I thought it was just a way to ferry stricken aircraft from point to point, but it turns out to much more amusing than that.  In 1953,  Dr J A J Bennett of Hiller Helicopters had an idea to help jets to take of and land from the decks of ships or other areas without proper runways.

You guessed it.  By having having a helicopter lift the jet into the air for takeoffs and dock with it in midair for landings. 

How the hell this thing is supposed to catch up with a jet above the latter's stall speed while remaining dead level and the attach itself at four separate points on the fuselage is left to imaginations that don't run to hideous fireball crashes.  As for takeoffs, the phrase "drops like a brick" springs lightly to mind.

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