Pterodactyl Ascender - Variants

Variants

Pfledge

The first Pfledges (also referred to as Fledges, and Fledglings) were tailless flying wings powered by a two-stroke Xenoah engine driving a 36-inch propeller. Some were also powered by a 10 hp (7 kW) 136 cc Chrysler two stroke engine.

Pfledge X

The Pfledge X featured a Xenoah 242 powerplant that produced 16 hp (12 kW).

Pfledge OR

The "Oshkosh Replica" was the production version of the two aircraft that were flown coast to coast in 1979. It was powered by a German Sachs SA-340 direct drive engine with a 336 cc displacement. This model sold for USD$2,850 in 1980.

Pfledge 430D

The Pfledge 430D was announced late in 1979. This model featured a Cuyuna 430D engine which McCornack helped design. The engine was a two cylinder, two stroke engine with a displacement of 429 cc and a power output of 30 hp (22 kW). It weighed 64 lb (29 kg). The "D" indicated that the engine was direct drive and not connected to the propeller through a reduction drive system.

The Pfledge 430D also replaced the twist grips with a conventional stick for roll control, originally developed by Paul Yarnell, while pitch remained via weight shift.

The Pfledge 430D cost USD$3600 in 1980.

NFL

Before the introduction of its FAR 103 ultralight regulations in 1982 the FAA did not regulate ultralights as long as they were foot-launchable.

The demand from conventional aircraft pilots for a version of the Pfledge that had aerodynamic pitch control instead of weight-shift led McCornack to add an elevator to the back of the aircraft, mounted on twin booms behind the pusher propeller. Because this design was "Not Foot Launchable" it was called the NFL (pronounced "Niffle"). The design was not a production success and few were built, but the NFL paved the way for the Ptraveler and Ascender to follow.

Ptraveler

McCornack had first installed a canard elevator on a Pfledge in 1978, but did not create a production model until 1980. The canard was operated by a side-mounted control stick. Fore-and-aft movement of the stick moved the canard and sideways movement controlled the tip-rudders. The canard was constructed with tubular spars, aluminum ribs and covered in standard aircraft fabric.

In the Early 1980s a Pterodactyl pilot named Jeff Ballas attended the Sun-N-Fun fly-in and was impressed with the mylar covering on the Lazair. He bought a roll of mylar and some tape, went home and re-covered his canard with the clear mylar. This experiment was a success. The handling of an Ascender with the lightweight mylar was much lighter and increased the nimble feeling of the aircraft.

The new model carried the name "Ptraveler", continuing the use of the silent letter “P” in Pterodactyl designs.

The new model was powered by the Cuyuna 430D direct drive engine and was introduced in 1980 at a price of USD$3900.

Ascender

The Cuyuna 430D powerplant was greatly improved by the addition of a 2:1 belt reduction drive, allowing larger propellers of 54 inches diameter to be used. This produced more thrust and less noise. The modified powerplant was called the Cuyuna 430R.

Fitting the new powerplant into the Ptraveler drastically improved the aircraft's take-off and climb performance. The new model was named the “Ascender” for its improved climb rate and also in tribute to the XP-55 Ascender, an early canard fighter design. In 1981 a complete kit cost USD$4200.

Ascender II

The Ascender II was an improved Ascender with evolutionary changes incorporated. It had an improved muffler, re-located throttle and fiberglass spring rod main landing gear suspension.

Psounder

The Pterodactyl Psounder was a one-of-a kind Ascender II that was modified for an atmospheric research project at Colorado State University.

Ptug

The Ptug was a special hang glider towing version of the Ascender II that was modified with a special rigid bridle to ensure that the tow rope stayed clear of the propeller.

Ptiger

By adding a fiberglass tub in place of the basic Ascender II+ airframe, along with clipping the wing by 4 feet (1 m) to a 29-foot (9 m) span, the result was a new model named the "Ptiger". With the Cuyuna 430R the aircraft was capable of 75 mph (121 km/h) in level flight.

Under the rules of the time it could not be foot-launched and Pterodactyl advised purchasers to register their Ptigers as experimental amateur-built aircraft With the advent of FAR 103 and the alternate worksheet, the Ptiger conformed and became a legal Ultralight.

Ascender II+

The Ascender II+ was introduced in early 1982 and was aimed at the physically larger pilot. This redesigned model incorporated a wider 20 ½ inch hang cage. All earlier models had a 15+3⁄₄-inch-wide (400 mm) hang cage. It also had stronger upright struts and wing with 1 ¾” inch spars of 0.049” thickness, whereas all earlier models used 1 ½” spars of 0.049 inch thickness and heavier 1/8” outer bottom cables.

The Ascender II+ sold for USD$5260 in 1983.

Ascender II+2

The Ascender II+, with its additional structural strength lent itself to the creation of a two-seat trainer version. This was designed by adding an off-center "sidecar" frame to hold the second seat and was named the "Ascender II+2". There was no dual control installation, as both pilots had access to the single side-stick control.

The II+2 was first marketed in the middle of 1982 at a price of USD$5560.

Light Flyer

The final aircraft design and produced by Pterodactyl was based on the Easy Riser wing and was a tribute to the Wright Flyer. The Light Flyer introduced practical improvements over the original Wright brothers design, such as wheeled landing gear instead of fixed skids, allowing taxiing. The aircraft was introduced in 1984 at a price of USD$5400, but only about five were sold.