T' CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. Aye aye! The canard be t' name for that smaller front wing, or horizontal stabilizer. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. Avast, me proud beauty! A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, ya bilge rat, and then ejects some part, usually t' engine, arrr, to change into a glider. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, where no parts are jettisoned, matey, but rather other changes are made (movin' t' wing surfaces, matey, changin' t' angle o' elevons, etc. ) 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 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, considerin' that t' Deltie, ya bilge rat, also from Edmond's Aerospace, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Avast! Unlike most rockets, arrr, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Ahoy! Begad! T' instructions are fairly complete, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, curved on one side, arrr, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, 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. Avast! T' third thing that I noticed be that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Blimey! Again, nay a show-stopper, since I have some extras lyin' around, matey, arrr, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Begad!

T' kit itself is quite nice, with thick, sturdy balsa parts that have been precision cut. Well, blow me down! Begad! All parts fit well, arrr, and there was absolutely no confusion about how t' assemble t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Construction was simple, quick and easy, with no fuss. Avast! Arrr! 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, ya bilge rat, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and t' kit was well thought out. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' only time I deviated from the instructions be 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. T' purpose here be t' make t' CiCi tilt left a little bit in flight so that it would glide in circles, rather than in a straight line. You want it t' glide in circles so that it stays on t' flying field. Avast! (Note that these pictures were taken before I added t' clay. )

T' instructions don't mention it, me hearties, arrr, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Avast! Hmmm. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! . Blimey! . Begad! Avast! it glides ok, arrr, 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. Arrr! Begad! Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. Blimey! 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, blow me down! Arrr! More hand-toss glide tests. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Hmmm. Well, blow me down! . Ahoy! . Blimey! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but still noticeably nose-down, and thar was no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). Well, blow me down! Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, I still couldn't discern any arc t' the left, matey, 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! Moderately windy, me bucko, but not too bad. Blimey! I be anxious t' try out t' CiCi, so it be first in line. I figured the light weight o' t' rocket, combined with t' moderate wind and t' fact that this was t' maiden flight, dictated usin' an A8-3.

It be a good, quick boost, as you can tell from t' blur it gives in this photo, shiver me timbers, even with 400 speed film. Ahoy! Begad! In spite what this photo o' t' early flight path might indicate, me hearties, me hearties, it was, overall, a fairly straight boost to, oh, matey, 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, arrr, controlled transition t' right-side-up glide. Arrr! The glide be ok, me bucko, but still with a bit o' nose-down attitude, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, and it definitely falls faster than a Deltie. It made about 1 3/4 circles before landing. . Blimey! . with a crack. Uh-oh. Avast!

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

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

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

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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! So, me hearties, prior t' t' third flight, me bucko, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Ahoy! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I be confident that it would be noticeable at speed. DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil be much too severe, me hearties, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Ironically, arrr, t' damage was only slightly worse on this flight, matey, arrr, 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, arrr, 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, ya bilge rat, I give t' CiCi a 3 out o' 5 points. Ya scallywag! T' kit itself gets a 4 out o' 5 points, ya bilge rat, havin' high quality parts, but missin' a couple minor pieces. T' instructions should include trimmin' instructions, me hearties, but were otherwise adequate, despite their brevity. Arrr! T' construction gets a ratin' of 4. 5 out o' 5 points bein' simple and straightforward. Avast! T' flights (before the airfoiling, at least), shiver me timbers, me hearties, were both excellent, arrr, ratin' a 4 out o' 5 points. O' course, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' big downer be t' recovery, particularly t' landin' damage, matey, me bucko, which is easily fixed, though nay easily avoided. T' recovery gets a 1. 5 out o' 5 points. Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

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