Re: New bird /pterosaur flight paper in PLoS ONE

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

I WAS drawing a parallel between pterosaurs and similarly sized and 
configured sailplanes.  It just doesn't have anything much to do with 
thermal lift, since neither those sailplanes nor pterosaurs are dependent 
upon thermal lift.  Any paper that assumes that they are is deeply flawed. 
Quetzalcoatlus was as capable as an albatross -- Quetz's wings were more 
capable, accomodating the penalty of the long neck and large head.  I've not 
looked in depth at Hatzegopteryx, but would expect similar performance from 
it.
JimC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "don ohmes" <d_ohmes@yahoo.com>
To: "jrc" <jrccea@bellsouth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 4:56 PM
Subject: Re: New bird /pterosaur flight paper in PLoS ONE


> Actually, I jumped to the conclusion that you were drawing a parallel 
> between sailplanes and pterosaurs relative to the central point of the 
> paper under discussion. So sorry...
>
>
> --- On Wed, 4/29/09, jrc <jrccea@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> > From: jrc <jrccea@bellsouth.net>
> > Subject: Re: New bird /pterosaur flight paper in PLoS ONE
> > To: d_ohmes@yahoo.com
> > Cc: dinosaur@usc.edu
> > Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 6:51 PM
> > P.S.  Note that I said nothing below that implied that those
> > traveling sailplanes were using thermal lift.  For
> > traveling, cloud streets and microlift are far more
> > effective.  I believe you may have jumped to a conclusion
> > that sailplanes only fly by making use of thermal lift.
> > JimC
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "don ohmes"
> > <d_ohmes@yahoo.com>
> > To: <dinosaur@usc.edu>
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 4:03 PM
> > Subject: Re: New bird /pterosaur flight paper in PLoS ONE
> >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- On Wed, 4/29/09, jrc <jrccea@bellsouth.net>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > >> Note that sailplanes with wingspans, wing areas,
> > aspect
> > >> ratios, and gross weights similar to those of the
> > largest
> > >> pterosaurs are repeatedly capable of soaring
> > non-stop for
> > >> hundreds of kilometers on an average day, and they
> > don't
> > >> have the ability to flap at all.
> > >
> > > Actually, they cover that -- "The present study
> > does not deny the possibility that they (the large
> > pterosaurs) might rely on warmed rising air of
> > thermals..."
> > >
> > > Don
> > >
> > >
> > >