Both are very hazardous under different risk models. There's a concept in flying stuff that you always want to be "three mistakes high" (I think this is credit

Both are very hazardous under different risk models. There's a concept in flying stuff that you always want to be "three mistakes high" (I think this is credited to Gene Gottschalk although I have no idea if he was the true origin - it's taken a life of its own in many communities). By that logic, the Christmas tree pilot is at a very sub-optimal altitude - 0.75+ mistakes high, but still high enough that they're unlikely to make it out in the event of a mistake or catastrophic failure. The retrieval helicopter is presumably several mistakes higher and more likely to recover from simple mistakes or equipment failure, but runs the risk of being smacked by a flying object. Neither are safe, but I think there are mitigating factors to the rocket collection that aren't present in the Christmas tree video. I think they're closer to even risk-wise. If I were a helicopter pilot, I'm not sure I would want either job!