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.

We have had one other 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  It was cancelled as Withdrawn from Use on 21/1/94.  Unfortunately we don't have a photo of ZK-FVN, and this will also be the case for many of the microlights that I will post about in coming posts.