The U.S. Navy once dreamed of floating airships that could launch clusters of tiny fighter airplanes. On display at the Udvar-Hazy Center, the Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk represents the culmination of research and development that enabled airplanes to launch from—and be recovered by—an immense rigid airship in mid-flight, a daunting feat to be sure. The aerial ballet between an airship and its fleet began when pilots climbed down into their airplanes and ensured that they were moving at top speed before pulling a handle above their heads, which released a hook on the airplane from a “trapeze” bar on the airship. After completing its mission, the dispatched airplanes would return to the airship and hook themselves back onto the trapeze bar, from which they would be lifted back into the airship’s internal hangar. But why was this technology so short-lived? Get the full story in the #ASQ article at the link in our bio.