T' CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. Ya scallywag! Avast! The canard be t' name for that smaller front wing, or horizontal stabilizer. Ya scallywag! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, shiver me timbers, and then ejects some part, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, usually t' engine, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, to change into a glider. Blimey! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, where no parts are jettisoned, matey, shiver me timbers, but rather other changes are made (movin' t' wing surfaces, changin' t' angle o' elevons, ya bilge rat, me hearties, matey, etc. Avast! Blimey! ) t' make t' transition from vertical boost mode t' horizontal glide mode. Blimey! Blimey!

Upon openin' up t' zip-lock-bag-style package o' t' CiCi, arrr, I be first surprised by t' fact that t' instructions consisted entirely o' a single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet o' paper, ya bilge rat, printed on one side only! Blimey! This was particularly surprisin' for this rocket, considerin' that t' Deltie, also from Edmond's Aerospace, ya bilge rat, me hearties, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Begad! Blimey! Although sparse, shiver me timbers, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Arrr! Unlike most rockets, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. T' instructions are fairly complete, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, ya bilge rat, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Basically, matey, matey, me bucko, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Well, blow me down! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, curved on one side, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, me bucko, but thar wasn't one in me kit. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece be missing: t' launch lug. Ahoy! Blimey! Again, nay a show-stopper, since I have some extras lyin' around, me bucko, me hearties, but a rather inauspicious beginning.

T' kit itself is quite nice, with thick, sturdy balsa parts that have been precision cut. All parts fit well, and there was absolutely no confusion about how t' assemble t' rocket. Begad! Avast! Construction was simple, arrr, quick and easy, arrr, ya bilge rat, me hearties, with no fuss. Full assembly took me about 1 hour, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but could be done much faster. Arrr! Make no mistake, shiver me timbers, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, and t' kit was well thought out. Avast! Aye aye! T' only time I deviated from the instructions was with t' clay. Begad! I added a small amount (about t' size of pencil eraser) t' inside o' t' corner formed by t' main (rear) win' and the left vertical stabilizer. Ya scallywag! T' purpose here was t' make t' CiCi tilt left a little bit in flight so that it would glide in circles, rather than in a straight line. Well, blow me down! You want it t' glide in circles so that it stays on t' flying field. Begad! (Note that these pictures were taken before I added t' clay. Ahoy! )

T' instructions don't mention it, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Ahoy! Hmmm. Ahoy! . Begad! Blimey! . Ya scallywag! Arrr! it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Ahoy! Nose-down enough that t' balsa nose cone hits before the front edge o' t' canard. Well, blow me down! Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. Avast! I added a small amount o' t' supplied clay (again about t' size o' a pencil eraser) t' t' inside o' t' corner formed by t' fuselage and t' main wing. More hand-toss glide tests. Ahoy! Ahoy! Hmmm. Begad! . Blimey! . Begad! Ya scallywag! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, but still noticeably nose-down, and thar be no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I added just a tiny bit more clay t' t' inside o' t' corner formed by t' main win' and t' left vertical stabilizer. Arrr! After a couple more throws, I still couldn't discern any arc t' the left, but I didn't want t' add too much weight for fear o' adversely affecting the flight characteristics. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Time for some real flight tests.

It was a pretty nice day for launchin' rockets. Moderately windy, but not too bad. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I was anxious t' try out t' CiCi, matey, so it was first in line. Arrr! Blimey! I figured the light weight o' t' rocket, combined with t' moderate wind and t' fact that this be t' maiden flight, dictated usin' an A8-3. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

It be a good, quick boost, as you can tell from t' blur it gives in this photo, matey, even with 400 speed film. In spite what this photo o' t' early flight path might indicate, me hearties, it was, me bucko, arrr, matey, overall, a fairly straight boost to, oh, maybe 150 feet or so (I didn't measure it). Begad! Begad! Even though it arced over on its back after burnout, it make a smooth, matey, me bucko, controlled transition t' right-side-up glide. Blimey! The glide was ok, shiver me timbers, but still with a bit o' nose-down attitude, me hearties, and it definitely falls faster than a Deltie. Arrr! It made about 1 3/4 circles before landing. Ahoy! Begad! . Begad! . with a crack. Avast! Uh-oh. Begad!

As you can see from this photo, ya bilge rat, it snapped clean in half on landing. Aye aye! Note that although it's photographed here on cement (for clarity), ya bilge rat, it did land in t' grass when it broke. Blimey! Disappointing, shiver me timbers, but not the end o' t' world. Arrr! Begad! A bit o' thin CA, me hearties, and she'll be good as new.

Also visible in this photo be t' slight blackenin' in t' forward half of the center o' t' main wing. Avast! This is just soot from t' black powder, not scorchin' o' t' wood. Aye aye! A bit dirty, matey, but nay a safety concern. Ahoy! Aye aye!

Unfortunately, matey, t' second flight, under nearly calm wind conditions, shiver me timbers, was an exact duplicate o' t' first. Ahoy! Blimey! T' A8-3 gave a good, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, straight boost, me bucko, with a nice transition t' glide, a decent but slightly too rapid, me hearties, me bucko, nose-down descent, me hearties, and a landin' with a crack. Ya scallywag! Broke clean in half again, me hearties, this time about 3mm further rearward (CA is strong stuff). Aye aye! Aye aye!

Warning! Do nay try t' followin' with your model!Bein' a bit o' a tinkerer, I thought I'd make a more serious attempt t' fix that nose-down attitude. So, prior t' t' third flight, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Avast! Avast! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Begad! Blimey! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, matey, matey, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I was confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Blimey! DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil be much too severe, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Blimey! Ironically, matey, t' damage was only slightly worse on this flight, with a small piece breakin' off o' t' canard as well as t' model snappin' in two at t' usual spot. Ahoy! Blimey! If your model also breaks on landing, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, start with a very slight airfoil, me hearties, matey, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Ahoy!

Overall, I give t' CiCi a 3 out o' 5 points. T' kit itself gets a 4 out o' 5 points, havin' high quality parts, but missin' a couple minor pieces. Aye aye! T' instructions should include trimmin' instructions, ya bilge rat, but were otherwise adequate, despite their brevity. Blimey! T' construction gets a ratin' of 4. 5 out o' 5 points bein' simple and straightforward. T' flights (before the airfoiling, at least), shiver me timbers, were both excellent, ratin' a 4 out o' 5 points. Begad! O' course, t' big downer be t' recovery, particularly t' landin' damage, shiver me timbers, which is easily fixed, though nay easily avoided. Well, blow me down! T' recovery gets a 1. 5 out o' 5 points. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

I'll probably repair t' CiCi again when I get a chance. Ahoy! Begad! If you're looking to buy your first boost glider, I'd have t' recommend t' Edmond's Aerospace Deltie. Well, blow me down! But, t' CiCi certainly has t' potential t' be a great boost glider, perhaps as your third or fourth boost glider model.