[Space Wrangler]

One of its peculiar features is the fact that the plane takes off from an aircraft-carrier, which is also a plane, not a vessel.

Did anyone catch this little tidbit?? An airborne aircraft carrier? If true, this would be WAY bigger than some little ol' space plane. Notice how it was just casually dropped into the story and nothing else was ever mentioned about it? Wierd.

[anobjectivist]

To my knowledge, the only technology that we are missing to make a plane like this are the materials and engines. Such an airplane would most likely require a hybrid engine capable of both breathing air and using oxidizer, and most likely a scramjet (which isn't what we could call reliable to our current level of technology).

A carrier plane, or flying aircraft carrier or whatever you want to call it, has already been developed for several x-planes in the testing of concepts leading to the creation of the space shuttle. Also, the space shuttle is carried by piggy back across the country onboard a modified 7X7 plane, I just forget which one. Although the shuttle can't launch from it, it wasn't designed to.

[El Sordo]

It's the S.H.E.I.L.D. Helicarrier, of course.

[Red Jones]

what it means is that 1 aircraft with 1 aircraft on top takes off from a regular airport. Then at high altitude the piggy-back aircraft takes off.