But flight requires fully formed, interlocking feathers and hollow bones, not to mention the flight muscles and keeled sternum to anchor the muscles. Feathers are not at all similar to scales. Even if scales were frayed, they would not be interlocking and impervious to air as are feathers. Actually, feathers are more similar to hair follicles than scales. What is actually present is better described as thin filaments which originate under the skin.
Birds have delicate, hollow bones to lighten their weight while dinosaurs had solid bones.
The placement and design of bird bones may be analogous to those in dinosaurs, but they are actually quite different. While dinosaur metabolism is in question, all modern reptiles are cold-blooded with a more lethargic life style. Birds are unique among land-dwelling vertebrates in that they don't breathe in and out. The air flows continually in a one-directional loop supporting the bird's high metabolism. Reptilian respiration is entirely different, more like that in mammals.