1st Composite Aircraft Pair — maybe not what you thought?
When thinking of composite aircraft (one aircraft initially mounted atop another much larger aircraft) most think of either the Short Mayo Composite (Short S.21 Maia flying boat which lofted a Short S.20 Mercury to altitude for air mail delivery purposes) in 1938 or the Luftwaffe Mistel pairings (fighter atop a drone bomber). Actually, just barely a decade after the historic Wright Brothers flight in 1903 Great Britain flew the first aircraft composite. Tested in Felixstowe (that historic base for seaplane development) a Felixstowe Porte Baby flying boat acted as mothership to a Bristol Scout fighter — the purpose was to intercept Zeppelin airships at sea when on their bombing raids to Great Britain. Testing halted after the maiden trail as the flying off of the Scout was too dangerous to repeat.