Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Pterodactyls (1) - Fledgelings and our first Ascender

I have previously covered the formation of the Microlight Association of New Zealand (MAANZ) in a post in September 2025, and the link to that post is HERE  Prior to the formation of MAANZ several pioneer microlighters had been flying "under the radar" (literally!) in the unregulated environment in unregistered machines.  The issue by the Civil Aviation Division of the  Ministry of Transport of the first set of microlight rules (Civil Aviation Advisory Circular (CAIC 47) meant that microlights could be registered and the first to be registered was Murray Hagen's Pterodactyl Ascender ZK-ESS.

The Pterodactyl series of microlights was developed in the US from the Manta Fledge hang glider of the 1970s.  The Manta Fledge was a weight shift rigid wing hang glider with wingtip rudders.  In 1977 Californian Jack McCornack designed a tubular structure with wheels that hung below the wing and replaced the weight shift seat, and he bolted a 16 HP 2 stroke Xenoah engine on as a pusher driving a 36 inch propeller.  This was the Pterodactyl Fledgeling.  This in turn was developed by Jack McCornack into the Pterodactyl Ascender with the addition of a canard wing to control pitch.

I have also previously posted about the first Fledgeling in New Zealand which was imported by Murray Hagen in 1979 and eventually flown successfully by him.  I will re-post the photos of this early Fledgeling:

Murray flying his Pterodactyl Fledgeling in 1979. 

Murray with his as yet unregistered (and not required to be) Fledgeling.

Then Murray added a canard to make the machine our first Pterodactyl Ascender.

ZK-ESS (c/n MAANZ/015) was the first microlight to be registered in New Zealand on 11/12/81.  It was registered to Murray Hagen of Tuatapere and he became the New Zealand agent for Pterodactyl microlights.  Murray sold it to Eddie Craig of Timaru on 13/6/83 and it is photo'd above at a Waitohi microlight flyin on 5/4/85.  It was destroyed in a hangar fire at Temuka on 27/5/89.

Our second Pterodactyl Fledgeling to be registered was the out of sequence personally registered ZK-PJH (c/n MAANZ/054) which was a Fledgeling 430D that was registered to P J Havill of Wellington on 13/2 82, and was cancelled as withdrawn on 27/9/05.  It is photo'd above at Masterton in January 1988.  Gavin Woodward took the photo and thanks to Peter Lewis for sending it in.

Later on, in 1989, we had another Pterodactyl Fledgeling registered here.  This was ZK-FVN (c/n MAANZ/438) which was registered to N W Morris of Paraparaumu on 24/11/89.  He sold it to M E Bach and I J Moorhouse of Auckland on 11/7/91 and then it went to P G Nicholson of Auckland on 3/2/93.  It was cancelled as Withdrawn from Use on 21/1/94.  Michael Bach has sent in a photo of it taken at Matakana when a group of microlights were flying to Kaikohe.  That is Michael standing by ZK-FVN.  Thanks for the photo Michael.

Another photo of ZK-FVN, taken at Pikes Point by Neville Drake and sent in by Peter Lewis. Thanks Peter. 

Observant readers will note that both the above Fledgelings has canard wings and I am a loss to explain this.

There has also been another cousin of the Fledgeling registered in New Zealand, that being the Re Fledge One ZK-FEE:

This was a Fledge wing that M S Reid of Matamata mated with a cage (just like Jack McCornack of Pterodactyl did) and powered with a 250 cc Robin engine.  It was registered ZK-FEE (c/n MAANZ/131) to M S Reid on 16/11/82.  As a result of the above For Sale advertisement it was sold to a new owner at Opotiki in 1986.  But he didn't have much success with the microlight as he inadvertently took off on his first flight on 18/5/86 near Opotiki, and then followed a series of climbs, stalls and dives until the engine cut out and it crashed nose first into the ground.  It was cancelled on 21/5/98.  Thanks to Janic Geelen for the info.