marvit@hplabsb.UUCP (Peter Marvit) (05/09/86)
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?). The recreation and culminating flight of the giant lizard was breathtakingly spectacular; c. 30-40 foot wingspan, no tail, carefully modelled anatomical features, flapping wings replete with transluscent rubbery "skin", detailed moving head which acts as rudder soaring and swooping through the unearthly landscape of Death Valley! It was an avionic, historical, artistic, and magical acheivement! 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! Peter "what species would we be if dinosaurs had survived" Marvit UUCP: ...!hplabs!marvit ARPA: marvit@HPLABS.ARPA