The B-747 Captain charged with piggy-backing the Atlantis Space Shuttle from Columbus Air Force base to the Kennedy Space Centre decided to take the Shuttle on a joy-flight.
12,000ft runway and 11,999ft used - not normally a chopper problem. Interesting that the concept was first demonstrated on a model radio controlled aircraft.
It seems that takeoff, unlike the typical 747 (airline) take off, left no margin for error. But looking back, I think much of the Shuttle program was similarly problematic. Complicated and cutting-edge, it involved large, complex aerospace structures exposed to high air loads, g loads and extremes of temperature and pressure. To paraphrase a veteran astronaut, the Shuttle was a dangerous venture. More dangerous, I’m certain, than NASA ever will admit.
