The catapulting of planes in the fleet is such a commonplace event that one seldom stops to realize the steps that have gone towards making such a maneuver possible. Not so in the commercial world. The arrival in New York of a mail plane which has been catapulted from a liner several hundred miles at sea is still news for the front page of any metropolitan daily. Although the modern application of the catapult is relatively new, the Greeks preceded us by hundreds of years in their knowledge of utilizing stored-up Power for propelling missiles or heavyweights. David’s sling shot and the hunter’s bow are further examples of this age-old knowledge of stored energy.
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