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

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, shiver me timbers, printed on one side only! This be particularly surprisin' for this rocket, considerin' that t' Deltie, matey, me hearties, also from Edmond's Aerospace, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Although sparse, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Well, blow me down! Unlike most rockets, arrr, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' instructions are fairly complete, shiver me timbers, me hearties, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, 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. T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, me hearties, arrr, curved on one side, ya bilge rat, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, me hearties, matey, but thar wasn't one in me kit. Begad! 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 be missing: t' launch lug. Begad! Ya scallywag! Again, ya bilge rat, nay a show-stopper, since I have some extras lyin' around, arrr, but a rather inauspicious beginning.

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

T' instructions don't mention it, me bucko, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Hmmm. Ahoy! . . Blimey! Begad! it glides ok, shiver me timbers, matey, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Nose-down enough that t' balsa nose cone hits before the front edge o' t' canard. Ahoy! 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. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! More hand-toss glide tests. Begad! Hmmm. . Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! . Ahoy! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, but still noticeably nose-down, arrr, and thar was 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. After a couple more throws, me bucko, 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! Avast, me proud beauty! Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

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

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

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

Warning! Blimey! 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. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! So, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me hearties, prior t' t' third flight, arrr, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Arrr! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, ya bilge rat, arrr, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Avast! Blimey! 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, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Blimey! Ironically, me hearties, t' damage was only slightly worse on this flight, me bucko, with a small piece breakin' off o' t' canard as well as t' model snappin' in two at t' usual spot. If your model also breaks on landing, me bucko, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, ya bilge rat, start with a very slight airfoil, ya bilge rat, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Begad! Aye aye!

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

I'll probably repair t' CiCi again when I get a chance. Arrr! If you're looking to buy your first boost glider, ya bilge rat, I'd have t' recommend t' Edmond's Aerospace Deltie. Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! Ya scallywag!