Operation

When a UFO penetrated SHADO's defences and reached Earth's atmosphere, the nearest Skydiver would be alerted. The Sky pilot would enter his craft by a hatch in the rear of the fighter and be fed by an unseen hydraulic system into the cockpit. The submarine would tilt up to an angle of about 45 degrees and the fighter would blast off into the atmosphere to intercept the intruder. (This was the usual operation; however, in the episode "Sub-Smash", the crippled Skydiver 1 is able to launch Sky 1 from a much greater depth than usual and with the bow inclined slightly downwards. Skydiver's design included very flexible operational parameters.)

No footage exists of the redocking of Sky and Diver. It can be assumed that the Sky fighter would splash down in the sea and await pickup. The Sky fighters could also touch down on land, though again this was never seen.