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

Upon openin' up t' zip-lock-bag-style package o' t' CiCi, ya bilge rat, I was first surprised by t' fact that t' instructions consisted entirely o' a single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet o' paper, ya bilge rat, printed on one side only! This be particularly surprisin' for this rocket, me bucko, ya bilge rat, considerin' that t' Deltie, also from Edmond's Aerospace, ya bilge rat, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Blimey! Unlike most rockets, shiver me timbers, me hearties, matey, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Ahoy! T' instructions are fairly complete, shiver me timbers, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, arrr, arrr, 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. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, curved on one side, shiver me timbers, 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. T' third thing that I noticed be that another piece be missing: t' launch lug. Again, shiver me timbers, me hearties, nay a show-stopper, me bucko, since I have some extras lyin' around, me bucko, but a rather inauspicious beginning.

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

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

It was a pretty nice day for launchin' rockets. Begad! Avast! Moderately windy, but not too bad. Ya scallywag! I was anxious t' try out t' CiCi, so it was 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, dictated usin' an A8-3.

It be a good, quick boost, as you can tell from t' blur it gives in this photo, arrr, even with 400 speed film. Begad! In spite what this photo o' t' early flight path might indicate, matey, shiver me timbers, it was, ya bilge rat, overall, me bucko, me bucko, a fairly straight boost to, me bucko, matey, oh, shiver me timbers, maybe 150 feet or so (I didn't measure it). Aye aye! Ahoy! Even though it arced over on its back after burnout, me bucko, it make a smooth, me hearties, ya bilge rat, controlled transition t' right-side-up glide. 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. . . with a crack. Uh-oh.

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

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

Warning! Do nay try t' followin' with your model!Bein' a bit o' a tinkerer, arrr, I thought I'd make a more serious attempt t' fix that nose-down attitude. So, me bucko, prior t' t' third flight, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, shiver me timbers, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Aye aye! Aye aye! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I was confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Ya scallywag! DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil be much too severe, arrr, me bucko, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Blimey! Ironically, 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. If your model also breaks on landing, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, ya bilge rat, start with a very slight airfoil, matey, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Ya scallywag! Avast!

Overall, I give t' CiCi a 3 out o' 5 points. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' kit itself gets a 4 out o' 5 points, me bucko, havin' high quality parts, shiver me timbers, but missin' a couple minor pieces. Ya scallywag! T' instructions should include trimmin' instructions, shiver me timbers, but were otherwise adequate, matey, despite their brevity. T' construction gets a ratin' of 4. 5 out o' 5 points bein' simple and straightforward. T' flights (before the airfoiling, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me bucko, at least), were both excellent, me hearties, ratin' a 4 out o' 5 points. Begad! O' course, t' big downer was t' recovery, particularly t' landin' damage, matey, which is easily fixed, though nay easily avoided. Ya scallywag! 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, shiver me timbers, I'd have t' recommend t' Edmond's Aerospace Deltie. Well, arrr, blow me down! But, me hearties, t' CiCi certainly has t' potential t' be a great boost glider, perhaps as your third or fourth boost glider model.