T' CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. Blimey! Begad! The canard be t' name for that smaller front wing, or horizontal stabilizer. Arrr! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. Avast! Blimey! A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, matey, and then ejects some part, usually t' engine, to change into a glider. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, me bucko, where no parts are jettisoned, shiver me timbers, but rather other changes are made (movin' t' wing surfaces, changin' t' angle o' elevons, me bucko, 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 was first surprised by t' fact that t' instructions consisted entirely o' a single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet o' paper, arrr, printed on one side only! This be particularly surprisin' for this rocket, me hearties, arrr, considerin' that t' Deltie, matey, also from Edmond's Aerospace, me bucko, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Although sparse, shiver me timbers, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Ahoy! Unlike most rockets, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Begad! Ya scallywag! 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. Blimey! Blimey! Basically, 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 be missing. Blimey! Arrr! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, curved on one side, me hearties, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, me bucko, but thar wasn't one in me kit. Well, blow me down! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. Ahoy! T' third thing that I noticed be that another piece be missing: t' launch lug. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Again, nay a show-stopper, matey, since I have some extras lyin' around, matey, shiver me timbers, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Arrr!

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

T' instructions don't mention it, me hearties, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Begad! Avast! Hmmm. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! . Aye aye! . Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Ahoy! Blimey! Nose-down enough that t' balsa nose cone hits before the front edge o' t' canard. Ya scallywag! Begad! Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! More hand-toss glide tests. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Hmmm. Blimey! . . Ya scallywag! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, but still noticeably nose-down, me bucko, 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. Ahoy! After a couple more throws, I still couldn't discern any arc t' the left, me bucko, 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. Arrr! Aye aye! Moderately windy, me bucko, 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, me hearties, combined with t' moderate wind and t' fact that this be t' maiden flight, matey, me bucko, dictated usin' an A8-3.

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

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

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. Begad! Blimey! A bit dirty, but nay a safety concern. Avast! Blimey!

Unfortunately, t' second flight, matey, under nearly calm wind conditions, was an exact duplicate o' t' first. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' A8-3 gave a good, straight boost, with a nice transition t' glide, a decent but slightly too rapid, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, nose-down descent, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and a landin' with a crack. Begad! Blimey! Broke shipshape in half again, me hearties, me bucko, 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, matey, I thought I'd make a more serious attempt t' fix that nose-down attitude. So, prior t' t' third flight, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Arrr! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Avast! Avast! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, shiver me timbers, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Begad! Ya scallywag! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I was confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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! Ironically, ya bilge rat, matey, t' damage be only slightly worse on this flight, matey, with a small piece breakin' off o' t' canard as well as t' model snappin' in two at t' usual spot. Ya scallywag! 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, arrr, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Begad!

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

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