T' CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. Aye aye! The canard be t' name for that smaller front wing, or horizontal stabilizer. Aye aye! Blimey! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. Begad! A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, me hearties, and then ejects some part, ya bilge rat, usually t' engine, to change into a glider. Ya scallywag! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, ya bilge rat, 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. Blimey!

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, matey, printed on one side only! This be particularly surprisin' for this rocket, considerin' that t' Deltie, shiver me timbers, also from Edmond's Aerospace, me hearties, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Unlike most rockets, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' instructions are fairly complete, ya bilge rat, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Basically, me bucko, arrr, matey, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. Aye aye! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, matey, but thar wasn't one in me kit. Avast, me proud beauty! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. Well, blow me down! T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece be missing: t' launch lug. Well, arrr, blow me down! Again, nay a show-stopper, me bucko, since I have some extras lyin' around, ya bilge rat, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Ahoy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, t' second flight, matey, under nearly calm wind conditions, was an exact duplicate o' t' first. T' A8-3 gave a good, me hearties, me hearties, straight boost, with a nice transition t' glide, matey, a decent but slightly too rapid, matey, nose-down descent, shiver me timbers, and a landin' with a crack. Well, blow me down! Avast! Broke clean in half again, shiver me timbers, me hearties, this time about 3mm further rearward (CA is strong stuff). Begad! 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. Avast! Begad! So, prior t' t' third flight, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Avast! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Avast! 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, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Blimey! Ironically, arrr, 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. Begad! 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, matey, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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