Regarding the catapult, it was an "optional feature?"
Take off performance was still a bit of a sticking point though. In 1904 the Wrights started using a crude catapult
picture of replica. It was an optional feature, as Wilbur Wright showed during a 1908 demonstration. During an attempt to set an FAI time to altitude record, the officials disqualified him on account of his "assisted takeoff". Wilbur promptly redid the attempt without the catapult and promptly set a new record.
How can I believe the two inventors were able to fly more than 30 minutes in Oct. 1905 over a flat pasture near Dayton if they still needed a hill and strong winds to stay in the air as late as May 1908.
But by September, they didn't need a slope, a hill, strong winds or a catapult, right?
One hour two minutes and fifteen seconds - 9 September 1908 at Fort Myer Virginia...
