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

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

T' kit itself is quite nice, arrr, me hearties, with thick, sturdy balsa parts that have been precision cut. Well, blow me down! All parts fit well, and there was absolutely no confusion about how t' assemble t' rocket. Begad! Construction was simple, quick and easy, with no fuss. Blimey! Ahoy! Full assembly took me about 1 hour, shiver me timbers, but could be done much faster. Begad! Make no mistake, me hearties, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, matey, and t' kit be well thought out. T' only time I deviated from the instructions be with t' clay. Arrr! 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 was t' make t' CiCi tilt left a little bit in flight so that it would glide in circles, me hearties, arrr, rather than in a straight line. You want it t' glide in circles so that it stays on t' flying field. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! (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. Well, blow me down! Hmmm. Aye aye! . . Begad! Aye aye! it glides ok, 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, matey, me proud beauty! Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! 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. Ahoy! More hand-toss glide tests. Ahoy! Begad! Hmmm. Well, blow me down! . . Arrr! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, me hearties, but still noticeably nose-down, and thar was no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). 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. After a couple more throws, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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. Begad! Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

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

Also visible in this photo be t' slight blackenin' in t' forward half of the center o' t' main wing. Well, matey, blow me down! This is just soot from t' black powder, not scorchin' o' t' wood. Well, blow me down! A bit dirty, ya bilge rat, but nay a safety concern. Well, blow me down!

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

Batten down t' hatches! 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. Well, blow me down! Avast! So, prior t' t' third flight, me hearties, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! Ahoy! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, me bucko, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Blimey! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I was confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil was much too severe, me bucko, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Ironically, t' damage be 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. Ya scallywag! Avast! If your model also breaks on landing, me hearties, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, start with a very slight airfoil, shiver me timbers, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further.

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

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