NCFM
P.O. Box 8090
Rancho Santa Fe,
California, 92067
USA

(858) 485-1137

© 2003
All rights reserved

Bluto

 
A Little History on the Original "Delta Nose"...
2001
 
In 2001, the first Bluto prototype was created. It was designed by Harris to test the efficiency of a straight leading edge plank, with no fuselage. To our knowledge, it was was the first "Delta Nose" concept plank to be on the market. It won its debut SCSR race (above pics), on the maiden voyage in Tehachapi, CA, and was a 54" twin-fin, with a straight LE, three servos (separate, central driven elevator), and...shutter... packing tape covering!

There was also an ultra-beefy, 60" twin-fin version prototype, shown below at a race at Torrey Pines, 2002. This was a stout bird, built by Gary Legerton... it had some major reinforcements and other excessively over-killistic goo, causing it to come out a bit heavy.

In January, 2002, the 48" Bluto (right) was born. It had a slightly different aspect ratio, and a single, rotating, split-fin. Many of the B-48 DS videos on this site show it in action.

In May, 2002, the 56" Bluto (below), was the next step. In general, the testing of this new "Delta-Nose" design was proving to be an amazingly high speed, low drag flying wing, with phenomenal energy retention!
 
As we began really ringing-out this larger, 56" version, we quickly realized it was in an entirely different league than it's 48" cousin. The fundamental flight properties were unchanged: clean, fast, stable, lifty, eternal inversion, aerobatic, beautifully clean rolls, etc.
But, what really blew us away, was the ability to retain incredible energy and stability through DS shear layers and big-sky, frontside carving. So far, all of the Blutos have proven themselves to be consistent winners in slope competition.
 
However, with the release of the M60 in June, 2003, (which we feel is a much better all around airplane than the Bluto 56 was), we decided to shelf Bluto for awhile, and concentrate on several other new aircraft, as well as some serious design enhancements we had been wanting to implement for quite some time.

Our goal was to have a new, completely re-designed Bluto out by Fall of '04, though months of serious lack of wind in our area, plus another project we snuck ahead of it (namely, the "Halfpipe"), set us back a bit. Our hope now, is to have all of the prototypes finished and completely tested by Summer of '05, with a decision about it's existence made shortly thereafter.
   
2005


Bluto comes full-circle, and then some:

Bigger, Thinner, Straighter, Badder, Faster!

Speaking of Bluto, for entertainment's sake, here are a few shots of an EIGHT FOOT,
one-off, fully molded, solid Spyderfoam core, carbon NCFM Bluto. This project has been ongoing for nearly 3 years. The 8ft plug was exactingly hand-shaped out of very special laminates, to exterior template guides across the span. Huge molds were made, and multi-layers of tapered carbon were augmented by a solid Spyderfoam core... this is a very unique process Harris and his brother Alan (a legendary surfboard shaper) came up with.

This monster Bluto is terrifyingly bulletproof! It was designed and built to take pretty much any load that any DS hill can throw at it, in any conditions (my.. aren't WE optimistic :). It was initially all internal torque drive, though that was aborted and our good friend, Gary Legerton (holding it in the rear pic), did some modifications, and converted it to a beefier external drive system. As of 3/29/05, we are just waiting for the right day on the right hill, which could be any time now!!