History Main / SkyHeist

* In ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I.Joe: Special Missions]]'' #1, the Joes trick their Russian counterparts the Oktober Guard into taking a would-be defector out to sea. They then use a Skyhook system (see RealLife examples below) to snatch him off the deck of the Russian ship with a low-flying plane..
* ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'': In ''All-Star Comics'' #41, the Icicle uses his CoolAirship to carry away a stadium full of people to act as judges for the [[LegionOfDoom Injustice Society of America]]'s crime contest.
* ''ComicBook/TheSimpsons:'' Krusty manages to do this with an entire ''building'', namely his own. Apparently all Krusty Burgers are built with hooks on the roof for this very purpose.

** The opening mission has the Saints robbing a bank vault. When their Plan A doesn't work, they activate Plan B - blowing up the upper floors of the bank, then having a helicopter with a crane attachment lift the entire vault out of the wreckage.

* It wasn't for the purpose of stealing anything, but the film capsules from early spy satellites were recovered this way. Because letting the film land in the ocean was considered too risky, the capsule would instead be snatched out of the air by an airplane or helicopter as it descended on a parachute.

** ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'': In the scene that is the TropeCodifier (and inspiration for many other examples) Bond and Aki are being pursued by a carload of gun wielding thugs. Aki called Tiger Tanaka for help. Straight after the call for help a large helicopter hovers over the gunmen's car and picked it up with a very large electromagnet, lifts the car into the sky and dumps it into the waters of Tokyo Bay.
-->'''Tanaka:''' [[BondOneLiner How's that for Japanese efficiency]]?\\

* In ''Film/SoloAStarWarsStory'', the plan is to steal some train carriages by loading them in the space ship.

* Attempted in ''Film/CannonballRunII''. One of Tony's and Caesar's attempts to kidnap the Sheik involves using a helicopter with a magnet on the bottom to pick up his Rolls-Royce. After they make contact, they're unable to pick up the car. (Apparently, the helicopter isn't strong enough.) They're still trying to figure out what's wrong when they enter a tunnel and get knocked off the car's roof. The Sheik never notices something is amiss beyond an odd noise.

* ''Franchise/LupinIII'':
** ''Anime/LupinIIIPartII'':
*** "[[Recap/LupinIIIS2E2 Guns, Buns, and Fun in the Sun]]": Lupin and gang hide the money they stole this episode inside of the ''[[UsefulNotes/RioDeJaneiro Cristo Redentor]]''. At the end, they tie the enormous statue up to a helicopter and [[MonumentalTheft yank it out and away]], but the damage means the money falls out and they only get away with the statue, [[DropTheCow who mocks them]].
*** "[[Recap/LupinIIIS2E20 Hell Toupee]]": Lupin's current problems were caused when he attempted to steal a medal from the chest of the Supreme Leader of Gehenia, Hutler (a [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Hitler parody]]). He had used a fishing pole from a helicopter, and accidently [[FakeHairDrama stole Hutler's toupee]]. A humiliated Hutler orders Hess and the army to fire on Lupin's copter; they're hit and crash down in a field.
*** "[[Recap/LupinIIIS2E64 Christmas at Tiffany's]]": Lupin is coerced into stealing from a Tiffany & Company's jewelry store in New York City. With Zenigata's preparations, the gang cannot set foot in the building without setting off the alarms. So instead they sit on the roof of a nearby building and use [[EnergyWeapon laser fishing rods]] to collect the jewelry, instead.
** ''Anime/LegendOfTheGoldOfBabylon'': At the end of the film, an alien ship shows up in an attempt to retrieve [[TowerOfBabel Babylon]], which is an entire city underneath New York City. Lupin messes up their TractorBeam, and the entire [[CityOfGold golden city]] breaks apart and falls back to the ground.
** ''Anime/LupinIIIByeByeLibertyCrisis'': The big heist for this film is Lupin stealing the ''Art/StatueOfLiberty'' in order to have plenty of time searching it for a large diamond called the Super Egg. To [[MonumentalTheft take the statue]], Lupin and Jigen use a helicopter and ropes.
** ''Anime/LupinIIIStolenLupin'': During this film's opening heist, the truck with the treasure is on a bridge when Lupin forces it to stop, and turns his [[FullBodyDisguise fake body doll disguise]] into a [[{{Balloonacy}} balloon]] to escape with all the treasure. Unfortunately for him, the semi-trailer was a cage in disguise and he loses all the jewels.

* ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica': In ''All-Star Comics'' #41, the Icicle uses his CoolAirship to carry away a stadium full of people to act as judges for the [[LegionOfDoom Injustice Society of America]]'s crime contest.

[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': "The Train Job" uses this technique to extract cargo ''from a moving train''.

* In ''Literature/FateApocrypha'', the Black Faction is secure in its knowledge that it has the Greater Grail inside its fortified castle, preventing stealing and tampering. In response, the Red Faction led by Shirou Kotomine simply flies Semiramis' Hanging Gardens of Babylon over it to magically levitate it into their grasp. This forces Vlad III to leave the safety of his HomeFieldAdvantage, drastically weakening him in the process.
* ''Franchise.LupinIII'':

* ''Anime/{{Steamboy}}'' is riding in a railroad car when EliteMooks attempt to kidnap him using a giant claw lowered from a dirigible. It succeeds in crushing the middle of the car, and almost derails the entire train. The mooks use a NetGun on the boy, capturing him and the steam ball before being lifted along with the claw aboard the dirigible.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': Colonel Blimp commanded a small army, with whom he built several dirigibles capable of lifting battleships from the sea and captured several of these, holding the Navy officers inside for ransom.

* ''ComicBook/{{JSA}}'': In ''All-Star Comics'' #41, the Icicle uses his CoolAirship to carry away a stadium full of people to act as judges for the [[LegionOfDoom Injustice Society of America]]'s crime contest.

* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Batman kidnaps the Chinese mob boss Mr. Lau from his Hong Kong skyscraper using a skyhook - after blowing out one of the skyscraper's windows, he trails a cable out of the window that catches the underside of a cargo plane piloted by his allies, dragging him and Mr. Lau out of the building.

-->'''Tanaka:''' [[BondOneLiner How's that for Japanese efficiency]]?
-->'''Bond:''' Just a drop in the ocean.

* ''Series/{{Watchmen}}'': Although you don't actually see the aircraft, this is employed against Angela Abar/Sister Night's car by [[spoiler: Lady Trieu]] in order to extract her prisoner. They later drop the car right in front of Laurie Blake, who finds it ''hilarious''.

[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* In ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'', the Black Faction is secure in its knowledge that it has the Greater Grail inside its fortified castle, preventing stealing and tampering. In response, the Red Faction led by Shirou Kotomine simply flies Semiramis' Hanging Gardens of Babylon over it to magically levitate it into their grasp. This forces Vlad III to leave the safety of his HomeFieldAdvantage, drastically weakening him in the process.

** ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'': In the scene that is the TropeCodifier (and inspiration for many other examples) Bond and Aki are being pursued by a carload of gun wielding thugs. Aki called Tiger Tanaka for help. Straight after the call for help a large helicopter hovers over the gunmen's car and picked it up with a very large electromagnet, lifts the car into the sky and dumps it into the waters of Tokyo bay.

** "In Search of Ancient Blunders" takes this UpToEleven. Baloo, Wildcat, and an archaeologist discover a lost pyramid, but end up leading the Sky Pirates to it. When the archaeologist voices her concern about the pirates, Baloo dismissively says "[[TemptingFate What are they going to do? Take the whole pyramid?]]". Just as they find their way out, they see the Iron Vulture above using strong cables to tote the entire pyramid out of the ground.

AliensStealCattle is a specific SubTrope where aliens uses spaceships to steal livestock. See also SkyPirates.

** In TheTeaser to ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', Bond uses the helicopter he usurped control of to scoop up the wheelchair of the EvilCripple and carry into the sky before [[SmokestackDrop dumping him down a smokestack]].

AliensStealCattle is a specific SubTrope where aliens uses spaceships to steal livestock.