Read [1] [2] first to fully appreciate the artistic licence used in PM's article.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_snatch_pick-up

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_surface-to-air_recovery...

Wiki is somewhat clearer where PM uses words human trials instead.

>The first human pickup using Fulton's STARS took place on 12 August 1958, when Staff Sergeant Levi W. Woods ...

Wiki includes a humorous moment where the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.

>Lifted off the ground, the pig began to spin as it flew through the air at 125 miles per hour (200 km/h). It arrived on board uninjured, but in a disoriented state. When it recovered, it attacked the crew.