tino@hou2f.UUCP (A.TINO) (05/23/86)
From marvit@hplabsb.UUCP (Peter Marvit): >Last night I saw a short documentary on the fabrication and flight of a >reconstrcution of the largest known flying creature in history: the extinct >pteradactyl. The model, designed and built by the inventor of the Gossamer, >Albatross, and other pioneering ultralights (name?), will be on exhibit >at the Smithsonian Air&Space museum later this summer, accompanied by a >*large* screen movie of the beast and its flight entitled "On the Wing" (due >to open in June?). > .... >Does anyone have refrences to this pteradactyl' origins and reconstruction? >I am especially interested in its natural history and general redesign >process, rather than detailed aerodynamics (although works written for laymen >would be interesting). Please feel free to post to net, but e-mail me a copy; >I am a sporadic reader of a few groups. Thanks and enjoy the creature! _______________ The designer/builder of the giant pterodactyl (and the Gossamer Condor) is Paul MacCready, chairman of AeroVironment, Inc. The company's address is Myrtle Ave Monroville, CA 91016 _______ Al Tino !hou2f!tino
hsu@eneevax.UUCP (Dave Hsu) (05/26/86)
In article <673@hou2f.UUCP> tino@hou2f.UUCP (A.TINO) writes: >From marvit@hplabsb.UUCP (Peter Marvit): >>Last night I saw a short documentary on the fabrication and flight of a >>reconstrcution of the largest known flying creature in history: the extinct >>pteradactyl. The model, designed and built by the inventor of the Gossamer, >>Albatross, and other pioneering ultralights (name?), will be on exhibit >> .... >>Does anyone have refrences to this pteradactyl' origins and reconstruction? >_______________ >The designer/builder of the giant pterodactyl (and the Gossamer Condor) >is Paul MacCready, chairman of AeroVironment, Inc. The company's address >... >Al Tino First off, the pterodactyl wasn't the largest known flying creature in history; they found those pteranosaur(?) bones in the Texas desert some years back and my memory vaguely remembers that THAT creature had a wingspan greater than a DC-3. I think. If you hadn't heard yet, the flying model crashed last week during celebrations down in DC, after 21 or so successful flights. Somewhere around here I have the Smithsonian's press kit (I think) and I'll try to fish it up later. BTW, one item there was a reprint of a Caltech newsletter from last winter, I think, so that may be the place to start. The model's refinement went in stages from small crude gliders to small detailed gliders, to the final full-scale model. I recall they had a lot of trouble initially because the pterodactyl's head served as a vertical stabilizer and the early models weren't refined enough to fly stably. -dave -- David Hsu (301)454-1433 || -8798 <UM doesn't claim anything I do> Communication & Signal Processing Lab / Engineering Computer Facility The University of Maryland -~- College Park, MD 20742 ARPA:hsu@eneevax.umd.edu UUCP:[seismo,allegra,rlgvax]!umcp-cs!eneevax!hsu "You know, guys, people say your music is loud, obnoxious, and lethal to mice.."
ladkin@kestrel.UUCP (05/27/86)
> From marvit@hplabsb.UUCP (Peter Marvit): > > The model [...] will be on exhibit > >at the Smithsonian Air&Space museum later this summer Unfortunately, the pterodactyl crashed and burned on its last flight at Andrews AFB. McCready seemed quite philosophical about it. Peter Ladkin ladkin@kestrel.arpa
root@smeagol.UUCP (The Mysterons) (05/31/86)
In article <673@hou2f.UUCP>, tino@hou2f.UUCP (A.TINO) writes: > From marvit@hplabsb.UUCP (Peter Marvit): > >Last night I saw a short documentary on the fabrication and flight of a > >reconstrcution of the largest known flying creature in history: the extinct > >pteradactyl. > _______________ > The designer/builder of the giant pterodactyl (and the Gossamer Condor) > is Paul MacCready, chairman of AeroVironment, Inc. The company's address > is > Myrtle Ave > Monroville, CA 91016 ^^^^^^^^^^ It's Monrovia, CA 91016 The Mysterons