Cory O’Neill recently test flew a special conversion of a classic ultralight, the Electric Pterodactyl Ascender. Rising from the desert near Pahrump, Nevada, the light canard was propelled by an open-source power paraglider motor and battery pack – all neatly bundled in a back-pack-size unit. A True Cross-Country Trip An early flying wing version of what became the Pterodactyl, the Pfledge lacked a canard and relied on a combination of weight shift and aerodynamic controls. Its designer, Jack McCornack and an early customer, Dave Froble, flew a pair of these craft from Monterrey, California to the 1979 Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. According to Ultralight News.com, “They made a big stir in Oshkosh that year – it is …
