such as to guide the aircraft into a docking station for launch the aircraft lifts itself into hover while tethered to the line articulation of the line guides the aircraft into a launch position at which point the line is disconnected from the cleat thereby releasing the aircraft application_number US 201514793397 A description the present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for automated launch retrieval and servicing of a hovering aircraft the apparatus and method of the present disclosure are especially suited to unmanned aircraft of small size the apparatus and method of the present disclosure allow for a fully automated operations cycle whereby the aircraft can be repeatedly launched retrieved serviced and re launched without manual intervention at any point while requiring only modest accuracy in piloting with greater simplicity than has previously been achieved and robustness in rougher conditions in one embodiment of the method of the present disclosure an aircraft would proceed automatically from free thrust borne flight through retrieval servicing and subsequent launch via the following sequence of actions illustrated in fig1 to 5 for illustration we imagine the operation to be done on a ship while underway fig1 shows the aircraft 1 approaching one embodiment of the aircraft retrieval and launch apparatus the aircraft 1 in this case is supported by a main rotor 2 which controls pitch and yaw with.