Originally Posted by
Ben Lanterman
Remember a few years ago when Paul MacCready built a flying model of a pterosaur configuration. He used electric motors and seemed to solve the problems inheret with the configuration. There was also the use of some elastic bands to help smooth the flapping and aid in some energy recovery in each cycle. I believe he used the toothy part (did they have beaks?) and the head for directional control. I am not too sure the model could agressively climb from the ground. It was bungy/dolly launched and it did make enough flights of extended length to show the configuration that they had was workable.
I know this is an ancient post, but I can't resist responding. Paul's 'replica' could be taken as a half scale model of the large morph of the azdharchid Quetzalcoatlus, or a full scale of the small morph (I am currently working on a 1/3 scale replica of the small morph). Paul had to take several liberties with the configuration in order to compensate for being told in error that it flew with legs retracted. For example, he had to break the neck and bend it into an impossible configuration in order to move the head further aft. The animal could not do that. The head was not used for steering - Paul configured it to minimise yaw forces, not to generate them. BTW, Quetz did not have teeth.
His model would not quite maintain level flight in no-lift conditions. If he had used paired AstroFlight 40s instead of the single 60s to power the flapping, it would have been capable of climbing.
I cannot post images because I haven't posted enough for it to be allowed.