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

Upon openin' up t' zip-lock-bag-style package o' t' CiCi, ya bilge rat, I be first surprised by t' fact that t' instructions consisted entirely o' a single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet o' paper, printed on one side only! This was particularly surprisin' for this rocket, me bucko, considerin' that t' Deltie, also from Edmond's Aerospace, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Aye aye! Although sparse, shiver me timbers, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Ahoy! 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, matey, ya bilge rat, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Well, blow me down! Begad! Basically, 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 be missing. 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, but thar wasn't one in me kit. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. Begad! T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! Again, matey, nay a show-stopper, since I have some extras lyin' around, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

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. Construction was simple, quick and easy, matey, shiver me timbers, with no fuss. Avast! Full assembly took me about 1 hour, shiver me timbers, but could be done much faster. Aye aye! Begad! Make no mistake, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, shiver me timbers, and t' kit was well thought out. Ya scallywag! T' only time I deviated from the instructions was with t' clay. Ahoy! 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. T' purpose here be 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! Avast, me proud beauty! You want it t' glide in circles so that it stays on t' flying field. (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. Hmmm. . Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! . Begad! Arrr! it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Avast, me proud beauty! Nose-down enough that t' balsa nose cone hits before the front edge o' t' canard. Avast! Blimey! Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. 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! Avast, me proud beauty! More hand-toss glide tests. Hmmm. Ya scallywag! . Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! . Begad! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but still noticeably nose-down, and thar be no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). Avast! I added just a tiny bit more clay t' t' inside o' t' corner formed by t' main win' and t' left vertical stabilizer. Ahoy! 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 be a pretty nice day for launchin' rockets. Avast! Blimey! Moderately windy, but not too bad. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I was anxious t' try out t' CiCi, arrr, so it was first in line. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I figured the light weight o' t' rocket, matey, combined with t' moderate wind and t' fact that this was t' maiden flight, dictated usin' an A8-3. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

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

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

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

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. Avast! So, arrr, me bucko, prior t' t' third flight, me bucko, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ahoy! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, shiver me timbers, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Ahoy! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I be confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Begad! Arrr! 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, 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. Well, blow me down! If your model also breaks on landing, ya bilge rat, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, start with a very slight airfoil, ya bilge rat, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

I'll probably repair t' CiCi again when I get a chance. If you're looking to buy your first boost glider, arrr, 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.