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

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

T' instructions don't mention it, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Hmmm. Avast, me proud beauty! . . it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! 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. Begad! 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. Arrr! Blimey! More hand-toss glide tests. Begad! Hmmm. Blimey! . Ahoy! . Ahoy! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, me bucko, but still noticeably nose-down, and thar was no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). 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, I still couldn't discern any arc t' the left, matey, 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. Begad! Moderately windy, but not too bad. I be anxious t' try out t' CiCi, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so it be first in line. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I figured the light weight o' t' rocket, me hearties, combined with t' moderate wind and t' fact that this was t' maiden flight, me hearties, dictated usin' an A8-3. Avast!

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

As you can see from this photo, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! Disappointing, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but not the end o' t' world. A bit o' thin CA, and she'll be good as new. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

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

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

Warning! 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! So, prior t' t' third flight, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ya scallywag! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, me hearties, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. 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, shiver me timbers, 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, me hearties, 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, ya bilge rat, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, me hearties, start with a very slight airfoil, ya bilge rat, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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. Avast, me proud beauty! But, t' CiCi certainly has t' potential t' be a great boost glider, perhaps as your third or fourth boost glider model. Ya scallywag!