When I was a kid we got a 100-150 feet of some kind of
black rubber cable at the dump- would tie a loop around the fireplug
at the McNamaras house and the other end to the gooseneck on
a bicycle, stretch it back a couple of houses and let go. Nowhere
near as interesting as it sounds, but still fun.

People used to launch gliders this way, and maybe still do in a few
locations. Not the 10-cent balsa variety, but full-sized sailplanes
with people in them. Torrey Pines near San Diego, and Elmira in New
York were two well-known sites where this was done.