T' CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. Ahoy! Avast! The canard be t' name for that smaller front wing, ya bilge rat, or horizontal stabilizer. Blimey! Well, blow me down! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. Arrr! Blimey! A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, ya bilge rat, and then ejects some part, usually t' engine, to change into a glider. Avast, me proud beauty! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, where no parts are jettisoned, but rather other changes are made (movin' t' wing surfaces, matey, changin' t' angle o' elevons, me hearties, etc. ) 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, 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 was particularly surprisin' for this rocket, considerin' that t' Deltie, shiver me timbers, also from Edmond's Aerospace, me bucko, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Ya scallywag! Although sparse, arrr, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Blimey! Unlike most rockets, arrr, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Blimey! T' instructions are fairly complete, shiver me timbers, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Basically, matey, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. Blimey! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece be missing. T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, curved on one side, ya bilge rat, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, arrr, but thar wasn't one in me kit. No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece be missing: t' launch lug. Ya scallywag! Again, matey, nay a show-stopper, arrr, since I have some extras lyin' around, me bucko, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Well, blow me down!

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

T' instructions don't mention it, arrr, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Hmmm. . Arrr! . Ya scallywag! it glides ok, ya bilge rat, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Ahoy! Nose-down enough that t' balsa nose cone hits before the front edge o' t' canard. Blimey! 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. Begad! More hand-toss glide tests. Aye aye! Hmmm. Avast! . . Avast, me proud beauty! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, ya bilge rat, but still noticeably nose-down, and thar be 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. After a couple more throws, me bucko, 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 be a pretty nice day for launchin' rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Moderately windy, matey, matey, but not too bad. Aye aye! I was anxious t' try out t' CiCi, so it was first in line. Well, blow me down! Avast! I figured the light weight o' t' rocket, shiver me timbers, combined with t' moderate wind and t' fact that this be t' maiden flight, shiver me timbers, dictated usin' an A8-3. Ya scallywag!

It was a good, quick boost, shiver me timbers, 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, arrr, it was, overall, a fairly straight boost to, matey, oh, ya bilge rat, me hearties, shiver me timbers, maybe 150 feet or so (I didn't measure it). Avast! Even though it arced over on its back after burnout, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it make a smooth, controlled transition t' right-side-up glide. The glide was ok, shiver me timbers, but still with a bit o' nose-down attitude, and it definitely falls faster than a Deltie. Ahoy! It made about 1 3/4 circles before landing. Begad! . Aye aye! . with a crack. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Uh-oh. Avast, me proud beauty!

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), shiver me timbers, me bucko, it did land in t' grass when it broke. Aye aye! Arrr! Disappointing, but not the end o' t' world. A bit o' thin CA, me bucko, arrr, me hearties, and she'll be good as new. Ahoy!

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

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

Batten down t' hatches! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! So, me bucko, matey, arrr, prior t' t' third flight, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Ya scallywag! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! 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. Blimey! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I be confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Begad! 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, 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, me bucko, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, matey, start with a very slight airfoil, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Avast!

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

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