T' CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. The canard be t' name for that smaller front wing, or horizontal stabilizer. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, shiver me timbers, and then ejects some part, usually t' engine, to change into a glider. Ahoy! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, me bucko, ya bilge rat, where no parts are jettisoned, matey, but rather other changes are made (movin' t' wing surfaces, changin' t' angle o' elevons, etc. Begad! ) 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, printed on one side only! This was particularly surprisin' for this rocket, arrr, considerin' that t' Deltie, matey, also from Edmond's Aerospace, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Blimey! Blimey! Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Arrr! Blimey! Unlike most rockets, me hearties, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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! Blimey! Basically, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece be missing. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, 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. Ahoy! Blimey! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece be missing: t' launch lug. Begad! Blimey! Again, matey, nay a show-stopper, since I have some extras lyin' around, arrr, ya bilge rat, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Begad! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey!

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

T' instructions don't mention it, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Hmmm. . Begad! Ya scallywag! . it glides ok, 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. Ahoy! Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. Ahoy! 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. Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! . Well, blow me down! Begad! . Blimey! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, but still noticeably nose-down, matey, 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! After a couple more throws, shiver me timbers, I still couldn't discern any arc t' the left, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I didn't want t' add too much weight for fear o' adversely affecting the flight characteristics. Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

As you can see from this photo, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, it snapped clean in half on landing. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Note that although it's photographed here on cement (for clarity), matey, it did land in t' grass when it broke. Begad! Blimey! Disappointing, me bucko, but not the end o' t' world. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! A bit o' thin CA, and she'll be good as new. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

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

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

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. Blimey! So, prior t' t' third flight, me hearties, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Aye aye! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ahoy! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ahoy! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I be confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Blimey! DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil was much too severe, matey, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Ironically, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! If your model also breaks on landing, 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. Aye aye!

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

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