T' CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. Avast! Ahoy! The canard be t' name for that smaller front wing, or horizontal stabilizer. Ahoy! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. Avast! Begad! A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, and then ejects some part, matey, usually t' engine, to change into a glider. Begad! Avast! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, shiver me timbers, where no parts are jettisoned, me hearties, matey, but rather other changes are made (movin' t' wing surfaces, changin' t' angle o' elevons, shiver me timbers, etc. Avast, me proud beauty! ) t' make t' transition from vertical boost mode t' horizontal glide mode. Begad! Ya scallywag! 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, shiver me timbers, printed on one side only! This was particularly surprisin' for this rocket, me hearties, shiver me timbers, considerin' that t' Deltie, me bucko, me hearties, also from Edmond's Aerospace, matey, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Blimey! Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Avast! Aye aye! Unlike most rockets, ya bilge rat, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. T' instructions are fairly complete, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Basically, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Begad! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, me hearties, 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. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. Well, blow me down! T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Well, blow me down! Again, shiver me timbers, nay a show-stopper, since I have some extras lyin' around, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Ahoy!

T' kit itself is quite nice, shiver me timbers, arrr, with thick, sturdy balsa parts that have been precision cut. Blimey! All parts fit well, and there was absolutely no confusion about how t' assemble t' rocket. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Construction was simple, quick and easy, matey, me bucko, ya bilge rat, with no fuss. Begad! Full assembly took me about 1 hour, me bucko, but could be done much faster. Aye aye! Make no mistake, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, matey, and t' kit was well thought out. Ya scallywag! T' only time I deviated from the instructions was with t' clay. 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 be t' make t' CiCi tilt left a little bit in flight so that it would glide in circles, me hearties, me bucko, rather than in a straight line. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Arrr! Aye aye! )

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

It be a pretty nice day for launchin' rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Moderately windy, but not too bad. Begad! I was anxious t' try out t' CiCi, so it be first in line. 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. Begad! Begad!

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

As you can see from this photo, it snapped clean in half on landing. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Note that although it's photographed here on cement (for clarity), me bucko, it did land in t' grass when it broke. Disappointing, but not the end o' t' world. A bit o' thin CA, 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. Aye aye! This is just soot from t' black powder, me bucko, not scorchin' o' t' wood. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! A bit dirty, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but nay a safety concern. Begad! Blimey!

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

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

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

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