Re: pterosaur take-off analog

["jrc" <jrccea@bellsouth.net>]

Comments inserted.
JimC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Peters" <davidrpeters@charter.net>

.....Similarly knowing that pterosaurs were successful over 100 million 
years, but did get eaten occasionally, can we also give them credit for 
hypothetical good timing and:

.....4. Knowing when the breezy parts of the day occurred to land and 
take-off.

Since that wasn't a necessity, why bother?  Though I do believe they would 
be able to recognize a wind when they felt one :-)

.....While the recent animation on pterosaur arm launches is an interesting 
look at engineering and dynamics, it depends on a worst-case scenario of a 
flat surface and no breeze.

It doesn't depend upon that -- it's just that the worst case scenario 
doesn't present a problem.

.......So there may not be a lock and recoil mechanism.

Quetz has one.

...... And the problem of what to do with that giant wing finger rotating 
straight down at the moment of launch is still vexing.

It's not so vexing once you realize that it doesn't happen or need to happen 
:-)
The wing finger completes its extension during the latter portion of the 
first upstroke just as it does during any other upstroke.

JimC