Wolf, William Skyhookers

An Illustrated History of Hook-on Aircraft and Their Dirigible Motherships

From the zeppelins of the First World War to the large bombers of the Second World War, military aircraft were vulnerable to fast, manoeuvrable interceptors. To counter this problem, escort fighters were used, but their limited range often left the bombers unprotected. One solution was to use composite aircraft, in which larger bombers carried smaller short-range fighters that could be launched and recaptured as needed. Zeppelins, which were particularly vulnerable to interceptors, were ideal for this concept. During the First World War, Germany briefly experimented with transporting parasite aircraft, while after the war the British conducted trials with airships such as His Majesty's Airship R-23 and R-33, which carried fighter aircraft such as the Sopwith Camel and the de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird. However, successful hooking and retrieval manoeuvres were only achieved with the Humming Bird. The US Navy and US Army further developed this concept. In 1918, the Navy launched a Curtiss JN Jenny from a C-1 blimp, and in 1924, the Army successfully flew a Sperry Messenger from a TC-class airship. The US perfected the method of transport, launch and recovery for airship defence and reconnaissance, particularly with the USS Los Angeles, which carried aircraft on a trapeze device. The Akron and Macon airships, with internal storage space for aircraft, further developed this technology, making them some of the most remarkable aircraft of their time.