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

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

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. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Construction was simple, ya bilge rat, me bucko, quick and easy, me hearties, with no fuss. Avast! Blimey! Full assembly took me about 1 hour, matey, but could be done much faster. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Make no mistake, ya bilge rat, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, matey, and t' kit was well thought out. T' only time I deviated from the instructions be with t' clay. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! 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! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! You want it t' glide in circles so that it stays on t' flying field. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! (Note that these pictures were taken before I added t' clay. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! )

T' instructions don't mention it, arrr, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Aye aye! Hmmm. . Ahoy! Ya scallywag! . Begad! Well, blow me down! it glides ok, me hearties, 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. Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! 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. Well, matey, blow me down! More hand-toss glide tests. Well, blow me down! Hmmm. Ahoy! . Begad! Well, blow me down! . Aye aye! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, but still noticeably nose-down, me hearties, and thar be no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). Begad! I added just a tiny bit more clay t' t' inside o' t' corner formed by t' main win' and t' left vertical stabilizer. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! After a couple more throws, shiver me timbers, 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. Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

As you can see from this photo, it snapped clean in half on landing. Begad! Note that although it's photographed here on cement (for clarity), it did land in t' grass when it broke. Avast, me proud beauty! Disappointing, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but not the end o' t' world. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! A bit o' thin CA, me hearties, and she'll be good as new. Well, blow me down!

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

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

Warning! Blimey! Do nay try t' followin' with your model!Bein' a bit o' a tinkerer, ya bilge rat, I thought I'd make a more serious attempt t' fix that nose-down attitude. Begad! So, prior t' t' third flight, ya bilge rat, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Ya scallywag! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Arrr! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, ya bilge rat, 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. DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil was much too severe, matey, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! 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. Aye aye! If your model also breaks on landing, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, me bucko, arrr, start with a very slight airfoil, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Blimey! Blimey!

Overall, ya bilge rat, I give t' CiCi a 3 out o' 5 points. Aye aye! T' kit itself gets a 4 out o' 5 points, me bucko, havin' high quality parts, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but missin' a couple minor pieces. Arrr! T' instructions should include trimmin' instructions, but were otherwise adequate, shiver me timbers, arrr, 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, arrr, at least), shiver me timbers, matey, were both excellent, me hearties, ratin' a 4 out o' 5 points. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! O' course, ya bilge rat, t' big downer was t' recovery, particularly t' landin' damage, which is easily fixed, though nay easily avoided. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! T' recovery gets a 1. 5 out o' 5 points. Avast!

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