T' CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. The canard be t' name for that smaller front wing, or horizontal stabilizer. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. Well, blow me down! A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, and then ejects some part, me hearties, usually t' engine, to change into a glider. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, arrr, where no parts are jettisoned, matey, me hearties, but rather other changes are made (movin' t' wing surfaces, changin' t' angle o' elevons, shiver me timbers, me hearties, etc. Arrr! ) t' make t' transition from vertical boost mode t' horizontal glide mode. Avast, me proud beauty!

Upon openin' up t' zip-lock-bag-style package o' t' CiCi, I be first surprised by t' fact that t' instructions consisted entirely o' a single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet o' paper, me hearties, printed on one side only! Blimey! This be particularly surprisin' for this rocket, me hearties, considerin' that t' Deltie, also from Edmond's Aerospace, ya bilge rat, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. 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. Avast! T' instructions are fairly complete, shiver me timbers, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, shiver me timbers, arrr, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Well, blow me down! Basically, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, matey, me bucko, curved on one side, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, but thar wasn't one in me kit. Aye aye! Arrr! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. Ya scallywag! T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Blimey! Again, nay a show-stopper, since I have some extras lyin' around, shiver me timbers, matey, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Well, blow me down! Begad!

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

T' instructions don't mention it, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Ya scallywag! Avast! Hmmm. . Aye aye! . Avast! it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Well, blow me down! Nose-down enough that t' balsa nose cone hits before the front edge o' t' canard. Aye aye! Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. 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. Ya scallywag! More hand-toss glide tests. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Hmmm. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! . Arrr! Ya scallywag! . 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). I added just a tiny bit more clay t' t' inside o' t' corner formed by t' main win' and t' left vertical stabilizer. Begad! After a couple more throws, I still couldn't discern any arc t' the left, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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. Aye aye! Begad! Moderately windy, me hearties, me hearties, but not too bad. Blimey! I was anxious t' try out t' CiCi, so it was first in line. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I figured the light weight o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, combined with t' moderate wind and t' fact that this be t' maiden flight, dictated usin' an A8-3. Well, blow me down! Begad!

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

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

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

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

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. So, matey, me bucko, 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. T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil was much too severe, me bucko, matey, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Blimey! Ironically, t' damage be 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. Arrr! Blimey! If your model also breaks on landing, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, ya bilge rat, me hearties, ya bilge rat, start with a very slight airfoil, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

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

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