I believe it. Maybe there's a claw that grabs the trees.

Same guy. Maybe the same crappy camera man

I don't think so, you can see some sort of knuckle that stays attached to the helo swinging thirty or so feet beneath it...some sort of quick-release device.

After watching both vids again, I'm actually equally impressed by the ground crew. They've got what looks like ~5 seconds, give or take, for the hook-up and getting the hell outta the way.

Damn expensive way to move Christmas trees. :confused:

My guess would be that the bulky thing at the base of his line is an electromagnet, and each tree has already been fitted with its tripod of wires plus a hunk of metal on top. No way is there time for a physical coupling/uncoupling of any kind of hook.

This YouTube is from the pilot's POV.

The last minute or two of this video shows him landing,
and you can see the line, weight, and connecting apparatus
on the ground before he touches down.

...I can't really make it out, but it looks like it might be a clamping devise of some sort

In Peru and the oil field they used a quick release hook with a weight. Once saw a sling load of dynamite dropped in the edge of our camp. Also in Peru, they carried a 6 pack of fuel up the right of way. 6-55gal drums. Take off from a hill top, not enough lift? Drop it, splat.

Looks like a quick release hook.

When they did the geologic survey here, they had to drop miles of cable using the same system. They moved wicked fast although slower than my neighbor's haybine...

Please tell me you bought the book, grav.

Anyone vaguely remember Tila Tequila? Well... she's changed.

I didn't know she'd had a brain aneurysm. It said she was out of the hospital in a week. Momdigr had a brain aneurysm many years ago. I'm not sure you can get out of the hospital in a week after a brain aneurysm. I guess it's possible, depending on where in the brain it was. Momdigr was in ICU for 22 days. 32 days total stay. And a really long recovery period.