Ho ho ho
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXKIMTo0-Dk

The joke is everybody waiting for the prang.

I've always been amazed that this is more cost effective than just dragging a trailer around with a tractor.

Certainly no mechanical sympathy going on there - good handling skills yes, but very little room for error - what would happen if the load didn't release for example?

I guess, if the load didn't release, it might end up where it started out from. Which has happened to me once before. After you've done it once it's unlikely to happen again.

I'd like to see a video of the instruments

Gullibell - I was thinking more of how he has selected an aggressive nose down attitude before the load has gone which could cause him even more nose down if the load didn't release as expected.

it was one of the reasons we were always taught not to try and 'zero-speed' a load because you might not recover if it didn't release properly.

Yes. I would never use or teach the technique being displayed in that video (not the least reason being I just don't have the required vertical reference skill for that). The pilots are obviously well practised with it, but as you say, such a nose down attitude if the load didn't release and got hooked up you'd be in a spot of bother. A vertical climb without any abrupt manoeuvring after releasing the load would only add about 20 seconds to the round trip time, and I think would be a much safer option.

Just wait ...
 

.... 'til the extended hook fails to release. :ugh:

This guy is dead man walkin'.