Pterosailing across the U.S.
All John MacTaggart needs is a little wind beneath his pterosail.
MacTaggart, the CEO of Pterosail Trike Systems, based in North Liberty, is traversing 3,092 miles in a pterosail — a half-trike, half-sailboat contraption — in its first real début. He is in the process of riding across the southern part of the country, and today, MacTaggart and his support vehicle are traveling through El Paso, Texas.
The début would have happened closer to the founding of the company in 2006, except that MacTaggart, a graduate of United States Merchant Marine Academy with a degree in marine engineering, was serving on the USNS Bruce Heezen in the Pacific.
On June 28, MacTaggart started eastward from San Diego with girlfriend Jennifer Brown in the support vehicle. The response to the 12-foot pterosail from passing drivers and people he meets in towns has been positive, he said.
“It’s been a great adventure,” he said. “The best part about it is meeting people and seeing their reactions.”
The pterosail had its beginnings with MacTaggart’s father, Phil MacTaggart, a retired attorney and recreational sailor, who was reading The New Complete Book of Bicycling, by Eugene Sloan, when he saw a picture of a bicycle with a small sail attached to the front.
“Other people have tried to build this type of thing, but they always put the big sail [of a sailboat] on a bike or a trike, which catches a lot of wind,” Phil MacTaggart said. “But for a bike or a trike that means the bottom of the big sail has to be above your head, so when the wind hits it, it will tip over really easily.”
He overcame the balance issues previous entrepreneurs had had by attaching a jib sail — the front, smaller sail in a sailboat — to the front of a recumbent trike, making the sail lower than it would be otherwise, so that if a particularly strong gust of wind blows through, the frame wouldn’t tip over. He sent the idea to his 26-year-old son.
“John was very practical in how he wanted to make it work,” his father said, and it was John MacTaggart’s idea to add the solar panels and other energy-efficient technology.
With solar panels, a sail, and a motor that can run on energy from the brakes’ friction, the only source of energy the pterosail doesn’t use is fossil fuels.
Scott Wilson, a mechanic at World of Bikes, 723 S. Gilbert St., saw the pterosail for the first at RAGBRAI two years ago. He said he has not seen another bicycle like it.
John MacTaggart explained the mission of the company in terms of the future and sustainability.
“People more and more are looking to have a sustainable future,” he said.
Already during his journey, three or four people have expressed interest in trying out the pterosail and potentially purchasing one for more than $5,000.
“They’re really cool, and kudos to the inventor, but I’m skeptical about them catching on because it’s a very conditional machine,” Wilson said. “I think it would be very cool if I saw a bunch of pterosails out there.”
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