Pterodactyl Revolution
Angelo Papageorgiou
“FAA describes a powered ultralight vehicle as a vehicle that:
* Is used or intended to be used for manned operation in the air by a single occupant (through exemptions, FAA allows 2-place ultralights to be used for instruction only - see below);
* Is used or intended to be used for recreation or sport purposes only…”
“Since certified airplanes are often prohibitively expensive, many pilots are turning to ultra light airplanes to make an old dream come true or to explore a new passion.”
Beauchamp, S. AVIATION SAFETY LETTER, Transport Canda, RECREATIONAL AVIATION, 2003,
The Pterodactyl first entered the market in 1978 and generated a great deal of excitement from the aviation community. In their prime the ultralight revolution of the 70s and early 80s were the standard to which all other ultra lights were measured up to and were flown on many remarkable long flights. One Particular model; the ascender came to be one the most recognisable and innovative designs having the rudder in front of the pilot, and usually having a Cuyuna engine facing backward. However, this ground breaking design had many draw backs; being one of the most accident prone Ultra lights. As designs matured, pilot error was shown to be the cause of the vast majority of incidents involving ultra lights.
The Pterodactyl style of aircraft was developed from the introduction of the “Manta Fledge” rigid wing hang glider. Designed by the famed designer of the Floater Glider and later the Drifter Ultra Light, Klaus Hill, the Fledge Hang Glider was the high performance hang glider of the 70s. The hang glider relied on its wing sweep for stability and control.
McCornack called the aircraft the Pterodactyl Pfledge and took its maiden voyage in 1977. A direct drive Xenoah two stroke engine putting out 16 hp and swinging a 36-inch propeller supplied the power. The Cuyuna two stroke engine production was discontinued as of
Part of the growth of the ultralight industry can be attributed to the availability of light weight but powerful two stroke engines. One such engine was the Cuyuna 430 R (fig1.). In its hay day the Cuyuna was used by most of the leading manufacturers. It was cheap, powerful, yet relatively small in size. Many ultralight pilots swore by its reliability, others simply swore at it. For, while one engine might run for hundreds of hours without a problem, others had difficulty running for a hundred minutes.
Jack McCornack and Dave Froble (Supplier) made a big commotion in
In the 
eign of presidency. The “Watergate Scandal” was a break-in at the Watergate Hotel, which caused the resignation of Richard Nixon and members of the administration. In
The 1970s was a very active era; it was the birth of environmentalism, sexual unbounding and the invention of the first microprocessor (1971). It was essentially the Green revolution. Between the late 1960s and 1970s was a period where life was about recreation, and as Tom Wolfe described was the “Me Decades”. This initiated the introduction of environmentally safe technology; reducing the harm to the environment that machines of the time did.
The Ultra Light was a perfect object to fulfil the desire for pleasure and still be environmentally safe. Ultra Lights were one manned, cheap, compact, fun, and quite manageable. Ultra Lights are nowadays referred to as “Recreational Aircrafts”. It was part of Minimalism as movement of art and design the invention of minimal technology was on the high. Everything was getting smaller and smaller. Art was becoming minimal, so minimal that a Blank canvas is to be considered as art and a Urinal was named as the most influential artwork of the 20th Century. In the design world, walls are becoming blank, and every household tool and appliance is tucked away in its own invisible compartment. Yes, aircrafts did become smaller. The passion to achieve one manned flight was part of this minimalist movement. Flying itself is a form of minimalism, as it is using light weight materials that allow for it to flow through the air in a rhythmic pattern but still controlled. Some say Jackson Pollock’s artwork was controlled.
Figure 1: “Cuyuna 430R Engine” Image Courtesy of Author
By 1979 McCornack began the development of a NLF (Not Foot Launch able) ultra light, alongside the first woman to be elected prime minister of
1981: The Ptraveler had replaced the 430D engine with a Cuyuna 430R for a 2:1 belt reduction drive. The new version carried the name “Ascender”. Later, the Ascender II was introduced with refinements such as fibreglass spring rod landing gears to replace the aluminium gear and an improved muffler made the Ascender II quieter. Ascenders were used for crop spraying and atmospheric research projects.
By the late summer of 1982 the two seated Ascender II was flying and ready for the market. This was simply an Ascender II airframe with a second hang cage bolted onto the right side. It was created dual flight training. Forever ending the days of ultra light pilots learning to fly alone in a big field by reading a book. It was also created for two people to go touring and fly camping.
Pterodactyls became famed for their innovative ultra lights, but in the 70s they were avant-garde in the scheme of design feats. But with all great inventions popularity turned around and the Pterodactyl revolution was sky rocketed. The aviation community was fascinated with these strange ultra lights. Pterodactyl clubs were springing up worldwide so enthusiasts could commune such as the “International Pterodactyl Club”. There was even a newspaper called the “Ptimes”, fig2 shows the first ever issue which was essentially an 8 page advertisement for the Pterodactyl Fledge. Another benefit of the ultra light phase was the fact that there was no protective cover, so photography of the immediate surrounds would be clear and precise. Conventional aircrafts usually have windows that are likely to degrade the image due to irregularities. Ultra lights are ideal platforms for photography. They go slow enough for the photographer to
maintain quality in the shot. But due to the bumpy ride photos need to be taken at a high shutter speed. Long term exposure shots are still favoured from that of an air balloon.
Overall, McCornack was a passionate designer. His Pterodactyl became renowned for their ground breaking concepts. The ascender was famous for having the tail in front of the operator for quicker foot launching. To this day the Pterodactyl ascender is viewed as a master piece of aviation engineering for Ultra Light enthusiasts’ world wide.
Figure 2: 'Ptimes vol. 1' courtesy of Pterodactyl Club
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ross, J.’1960-1980’ 20th Century Chronicle, 1990,
Anderson, AC. 2007, ‘Flight Safety Notebook’, viewed
Open source, ‘Minimalism’, ‘1980s’,’1970s’,’watergate scandal’ viewed may 2007 <en.wikipedia.org>
Hunt, A. ‘Jurassic Flying’: COPA’s Canadian Flight Oct. 2001
Beauchamp, S. ‘AVIATION SAFETY LETTER’, Transport Canda, RECREATIONAL AVIATION, 2003,
USUA,
Ingenious Essay
No comments:
Post a Comment