Flying circles around the helicopter

This is pretty cool. It seems that if an airplane pays out a tether and flies in a tight circle the tether will assume a vertical configuration allowing it to be raised and lowered just like a helicopter.

"The system could find many uses. As well as rescue and military operations, a commercial cable system would allow light planes or even pilotless aircraft to retrieve or deliver packages almost anywhere. Remote settlements and scientific bases could receive vital supplies without the need for an airstrip or the risks associated with parachute drops. Payloads could include fragile items such as scientific specimens, medical supplies or living creatures.

Trivailo believes the technology has a more urgent application in firefighting. Wildfires have become more severe in recent years but many of the US fire service's water tankers are due for retirement. Trivailo's cable system could help take the pressure off, since it would allow almost any large aircraft to collect water and spray it from the air or deliver it to remote sites without the need to land."