Page "Paul MacCready" Paragraph 6

In 1985 he was commissioned to build a halfscale working replica of the pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus for the Smithsonian Institution, following a workshop in 1984 which concluded that such a replica was feasible.

The completed remote-controlled flying reptile, with a wingspan of 18 feet, was filmed over Death Valley, California in 1986 for the Smithsonian's IMAX film On the Wing.

It flew successfully several times before being severely damaged in a crash at an airshow at Andrews AFB in Maryland.

The launch of the dinosaur model came off well but the radio transmitter link failed, perhaps due to the interference from some of the many base communications devices.

The model nosed over and crashed at the runway side, breaking at the neck from the force of impact.