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Pteroplanes

QuetzalcoatlusWho’d think that a leathery-looking flappy lizardy thing could fly smoothly and neatly?

This Quetzalcoatlus might have been as wide as about 18m & weigh several hundred kilos, not something to argue with.

It turns out that pterosaurs have distributed nervous clusters (think “multi-cpu brains” and you won’t be too far wide of the mark) which help them to smooth and regulate their flying surfaces, and also a neat bone — initially identified poorly — named a “pteroid” which acts kind of like a combination of flap and aileron, allowing these lizardly birds to take off slower (moderate breeze), land slower, and bank very neatly without having to tip their wings as dramatically as was once thought.

So a pterosaur essentially had the aereal gear already built-in to follow modern flight-control instructions — and on a lot less fuel than a Beechcraft or Cessna would need.

Sorry, it’s a paper article I have here (not internet), so no URLs. Please imagine some classy pterosaurs to match, if you like.

Comments

Leon RJ Brooks said…
BTW, an 18m wingspan is a pretty reasonable jet fighter.
12 June, 2006 16:26
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