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

Upon openin' up t' zip-lock-bag-style package o' t' CiCi, matey, 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, me hearties, arrr, matey, also from Edmond's Aerospace, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Begad! Unlike most rockets, me bucko, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Ya scallywag! T' instructions are fairly complete, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, matey, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast! Aye aye! T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Well, blow me down! Again, ya bilge rat, nay a show-stopper, me hearties, since I have some extras lyin' around, but a rather inauspicious beginning.

T' kit itself is quite nice, with thick, sturdy balsa parts that have been precision cut. Arrr! Blimey! All parts fit well, and there was absolutely no confusion about how t' assemble t' rocket. Aye aye! Construction was simple, shiver me timbers, quick and easy, me hearties, with no fuss. Begad! Full assembly took me about 1 hour, but could be done much faster. Avast, me proud beauty! Make no mistake, me hearties, me bucko, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, and t' kit be well thought out. Begad! T' only time I deviated from the instructions was with t' clay. Well, blow me down! 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. 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. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! You want it t' glide in circles so that it stays on t' flying field. Blimey! Blimey! (Note that these pictures were taken before I added t' clay. Begad! Blimey! )

T' instructions don't mention it, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Blimey! Avast! Hmmm. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! . Avast! . Begad! it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! Avast! 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. Hmmm. Begad! Begad! . Avast, me proud beauty! . Blimey! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, but still noticeably nose-down, me bucko, and thar be no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I added just a tiny bit more clay t' t' inside o' t' corner formed by t' main win' and t' left vertical stabilizer. 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. Ya scallywag! Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

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

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

Warning! 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. So, prior t' t' third flight, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! Ya scallywag! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ahoy! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Blimey! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I be confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, me bucko, 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. Begad! 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, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further.

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

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