Re: Speaking of Pterosaurs (was Archaeopteryx flight)

[jrc <jrccea@bellsouth.net>]

I haven't read the paper yet.  Matt, Dave, and Charlie are superb workers, 
and I have the utmost respect for their abilities so I'm going to withhold 
comment till after I do have a chance to read the paper.  I still think an 
improperly supported propatagium would likely result in uncontrollable 
flutter, so I'll be really interested in how they support the propatagium, 
and whether their pteroid base articulation is similar to (or different 
than) Chris Bennett's.  Working with the Q species wrist has convinced me 
that Chris is correct about wrist construction.  Consequently, my take is 
that the pteroid mounts on the inboard side of the lateral distal syncarpal 
with the articulation structured to resist mostly spanwise loads, and that a 
seperate sesimoid sits in the articular socket at the top-front of the ldc. 
I don't know at the moment how W/U/E visualize the wrist.
Jim

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christopher Collinson" <thats_mr_annoying_to_you@yahoo.com>
To: <jrccea@bellsouth.net>
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 10:01 PM
Subject: Re: Speaking of Pterosaurs (was Archaeopteryx flight)


> Speaking of Pterosaurs, Jim whats your opinion on the
> recent Wilkinson, Unwin and Ellington paper regarding
> the pteroid's orientation? I know that in the past
> you've said that such a position as argued by
> Wilkinson et. al. would result in a catastrophic
> flutter in the propatagium.
>
> Christopher Collinson
>
>
>
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