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

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

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

T' instructions don't mention it, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Hmmm. . Aye aye! . Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! 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. Ahoy! Hmmm. Avast! . 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). Arrr! 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, 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. Begad! Begad! Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

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

Warning! Do nay try t' followin' with your model!Bein' a bit o' a tinkerer, me bucko, me bucko, I thought I'd make a more serious attempt t' fix that nose-down attitude. Begad! So, me hearties, prior t' t' third flight, 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. Arrr! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Begad! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I was confident that it would be noticeable at speed. 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! Blimey! Ironically, shiver me timbers, t' damage was 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, start with a very slight airfoil, matey, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further.

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 bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but were otherwise adequate, ya bilge rat, despite their brevity. Ahoy! Begad! T' construction gets a ratin' of 4. 5 out o' 5 points bein' simple and straightforward. Begad! T' flights (before the airfoiling, me bucko, at least), arrr, were both excellent, ratin' a 4 out o' 5 points. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! O' course, me hearties, t' big downer be t' recovery, particularly t' landin' damage, ya bilge rat, which is easily fixed, though nay easily avoided. Aye aye! T' recovery gets a 1. 5 out o' 5 points. Well, blow me down!

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, matey, I'd have t' recommend t' Edmond's Aerospace Deltie. Begad! Begad! But, t' CiCi certainly has t' potential t' be a great boost glider, perhaps as your third or fourth boost glider model.