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I’ve wondered this about airplanes. Couldn’t we launch an airplane into the air and it spends the rest of the time gliding back down to earth? It would make things a lot simpler and the chance of something going wrong is much less since it’s in a perpetual state of gliding back. Is this even possible?

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I don't know.

Gliders are a thing, dragged into the air by a propeller driven plane, untethered they fly for quite some time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(sailplane)

I estimate, speculatively that the energy to bring it to altitude, condensed into an impulse only imparted at launch, would destroy such an aircraft and kill any occupants.

Sure, but no modern airport would be able to accommodate these as the wingspans would have to be huge compared to a propelled jet.

What? Gliders fly out of "modern airports" every day. Not to mention large flying wings like NASA Sunglider, B-2s and wide-winged aircraft like the A380 and An-124. Heck, the Mriya was able to operate at many major airports, although with some disruptive considerations when taxiing.

> Gliders fly out of "modern airports" every day

Sure, carrying one or two people. What wingspan would you need to carry 200 people and their luggage? That's what the OP was talking about.

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