Mark Zinkel- Teenager restoring a Pteradactyl

[winsor68]

Hi all,

 

I ran across this young blokes web site about a year ago now..

 

pFlying Dreams - Building and Flying the Pterodactyl

 

He is restoring a Pteradactyl in the US...This video shows his progress...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4n1pYtAqBs"

 

Was wondering if anyone could offer an opinion on what his chances are...He mentions the wing of the machine having some rusty rivets...is this likely to cause a problem with the spars if he replaces them.

 

This guy is only 19 years old and is certainly following his dream.

 

I also have spent some time chating to him on Facebook.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Hi Windsor, I know the Pterydactyl pretty well, although I have not flown one. I did fly with people who had them though. The factory was south of San Francisco on the coast. They are a pretty tough machine, and built good for the day. Standard 6061T6 anodised tubing 0f about .058 to .063 wall thickness. There were very few problems with the wing itself, although the 1/16 " cables going from the stick to the tip rudders could break at the stick end, and this could be fatal as the machine would go into a spiral turn, and you couldn't stop it. Tell him to throw the Cyunas in the bin. They had problems from day 1, and would overheat and snick up at the most inappropiate times without warning. Many good pilots were killed because of those engines, especially on 'dactyls, as you wore them right in the back of the head. Probabily only good for a boat anchor IMOP. The fiberglass axel rods were originally sourced from the winery industry in Northern Calif. They used them to beat up grapes in some machine they used. They were very durable on the 'Dactyl. The 20" wheels he has are 'TUFF' wheels and are pretty good also. Don't know if they are still around. Yes the axel diameters came in different sizes. The larger of the two tires are called 'Stingray slicks'. They were original on a Schwinn bike called the low rider, sort of a chopper type bike. I used the same wheel and tire on my Biplane, and wore a few tires out. I went to every bike shop in the SF area and bought all they had at the time. Most bike shops had one or two hanging out the back. There are now suitable replacements that may be better, with Kevlar etc for the BMX bike riders readily available. I would suggest he look at a good Rotax 582. The 'dactyl was easy to fly, flew pretty well and got along ok. You could land them anywhere, especially on the beach. The FWD Cunard gave plenty of control. Another similiar UL of the day was the Foxbat by Manta. It was the same as the 'Dactyl except it didn't have the cunard and was just a weight shift machine. It flew fine also. The 'Dactyl may have been a straight copy of the Foxbat, and I think Manta supplied most of the parts to the 'Dactyl factory when they were in production. Your friend needs to pick up the old US UL mags of the 80s, there would be ads for the 'Dactyl and there were always lots of articles about them also. That same wing on the 'Dactyl and Manta Foxbat was also used as a foot launced hang glider wing, as Manta originally made hang gliders in the 70s. Cheers.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

i saw a website a few years ago may have been a yahoo group someone is still making all the bits for these and quite a few are still flying in the US. i have some mag articles and advertising lit., as well.

 

The Fledge wing was the HG version. i flew one a few times 'back then' and loved them for the performance and crisp response. woo hoo!! i was surprised to see new Fledges flying when i was in Italy. they have a good following there and are relativley

 

cheap for the performance.

 

ozzie