shown in fig8 alternatively an external starter could be used before leaving the aircraft servicing station this would allow automated pre flight checks to be done at full thrust while the aircraft remained securely docked once pre flight checks are completed satisfactorily the aircraft climbs clear of the rails into free flight as shown in fig9 the aircraft can then proceed on its mission and ultimately return to the base apparatus for another retrieval the full operations cycle of the aircraft can thus be performed without manual intervention it should be appreciated that in various embodiments the apparatus of the present disclosure includes a base having a a frame configured to rest on the ground or a moving object such as a vessel on land or on water b one or a plurality of rails supported by the frame and extending transversely from the frame c upwardly extending restrainers such as spaced apart teeth or pins on the rails d a brake cushioning mechanisms and or impact absorbers such as shock absorbers supported by the frame and attached to the rails or soft material on the restrainers e a parking or servicing station supported by the frame and configured securely to park the aircraft for servicing f a mover supported by the frame and configured to move the spanwise fixture with respect to the parking station g an aircraft guider or guides configured to guide the aircraft during the relative motion between the spanwise fixture and the parking station such that the aircraft is inserted into the aircraft parking station in a desired position and orientation h an extractor configured to extract the aircraft from the parking.