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

Upon openin' up t' zip-lock-bag-style package o' t' CiCi, shiver me timbers, I be first surprised by t' fact that t' instructions consisted entirely o' a single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet o' paper, matey, printed on one side only! This was particularly surprisin' for this rocket, shiver me timbers, considerin' that t' Deltie, ya bilge rat, also from Edmond's Aerospace, shiver me timbers, matey, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Ahoy! Begad! Although sparse, me bucko, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Unlike most rockets, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' instructions are fairly complete, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Basically, me hearties, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Arrr! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, curved on one side, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, me hearties, but thar wasn't one in me kit. Well, blow me down! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Again, nay a show-stopper, arrr, matey, 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. All parts fit well, ya bilge rat, arrr, and there was absolutely no confusion about how t' assemble t' rocket. Avast! Construction was simple, me hearties, ya bilge rat, quick and easy, with no fuss. Begad! Begad! Full assembly took me about 1 hour, but could be done much faster. Blimey! Begad! Make no mistake, ya bilge rat, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and t' kit was well thought out. Arrr! T' only time I deviated from the instructions was with t' clay. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Blimey! You want it t' glide in circles so that it stays on t' flying field. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, matey, blow me down! (Note that these pictures were taken before I added t' clay. Blimey! )

T' instructions don't mention it, matey, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Blimey! Hmmm. . Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! . Well, blow me down! it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Ya scallywag! 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. 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. Ya scallywag! More hand-toss glide tests. Begad! Begad! Hmmm. Well, blow me down! Begad! . Arrr! . Ya scallywag! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, but still noticeably nose-down, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and thar was no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). 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, 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! Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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