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

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, printed on one side only! This be particularly surprisin' for this rocket, matey, matey, arrr, considerin' that t' Deltie, me bucko, arrr, also from Edmond's Aerospace, arrr, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Blimey! Although sparse, arrr, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Unlike most rockets, matey, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Avast! Aye aye! T' instructions are fairly complete, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, arrr, me hearties, matey, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Well, blow me down! Basically, 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. Begad! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, me hearties, me hearties, curved on one side, matey, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, arrr, 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. T' third thing that I noticed be that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Aye aye! Again, nay a show-stopper, me bucko, since I have some extras lyin' around, shiver me timbers, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Begad!

T' kit itself is quite nice, shiver me timbers, with thick, sturdy balsa parts that have been precision cut. Well, arrr, blow me down! All parts fit well, me bucko, and there was absolutely no confusion about how t' assemble t' rocket. Construction was simple, me bucko, me bucko, quick and easy, with no fuss. Avast! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Full assembly took me about 1 hour, arrr, but could be done much faster. Make no mistake, me bucko, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, me hearties, and t' kit be well thought out. Avast! 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. Begad! T' purpose here be t' make t' CiCi tilt left a little bit in flight so that it would glide in circles, ya bilge rat, rather than in a straight line. Blimey! Begad! You want it t' glide in circles so that it stays on t' flying field. Well, blow me down! (Note that these pictures were taken before I added t' clay. )

T' instructions don't mention it, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Ahoy! Hmmm. Begad! Well, blow me down! . Ya scallywag! . Well, blow me down! Avast! it glides ok, me hearties, arrr, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Ya scallywag! 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. 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. More hand-toss glide tests. Ahoy! Blimey! Hmmm. Well, blow me down! . Begad! . 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). Aye aye! Ya scallywag! 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, arrr, 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. Arrr! Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

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

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

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

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. Begad! So, me bucko, prior t' t' third flight, me hearties, arrr, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Avast, me proud beauty! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Blimey! Aye aye! 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 be 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 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! If your model also breaks on landing, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, me bucko, start with a very slight airfoil, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Arrr! Well, blow me down!

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

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