Plenty of hang glider flyers use the same site for takeoff and landing, it's called slope soaring. And when they're airborne they seem to think they're flying.
Many birds use slope soaring, a gull rarely flaps its wings except for t.o. and l., and uses cliffs and seashore features to gain height. Pelicans seem to fly all day in line-ahead formation using wave soaring. Glorious to watch the whole formation wing over one by one from one wave to the next.
I somehow think a pterodactyl would be a little vulnerable when hiking and would prefer to return to base by air. Good energy management would permit excursions to lower levels and return to base. Dunno what they used to feed on, could they catch 'insectosaurs' in midair or did they grab ground-based food?