When you catapult a plane that can't fly, it still can't fly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langley_Aerodrome#/media/File:Samuel_Pierpont_Langley_-_Potomac_expe

When you catapult a plane that can't fly, it still can't fly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langley_Aerodrome#/media/File:Samuel_Pierpont_Langley_-_Potomac_experiment_1903.jpeg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langley_Aerodrome#/media/File:... The Wright flyer could and frequently did do circles around the field for several minutes after being catapulted. It was no glider.