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

Upon openin' up t' zip-lock-bag-style package o' t' CiCi, me hearties, I be 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, considerin' that t' Deltie, arrr, shiver me timbers, also from Edmond's Aerospace, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Arrr! Although sparse, me bucko, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Begad! Blimey! Unlike most rockets, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Arrr! Well, blow me down! 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. Arrr! Ahoy! Basically, me hearties, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. Aye aye! Arrr! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, ya bilge rat, curved on one side, me bucko, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, me bucko, 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. Blimey! T' third thing that I noticed was that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Blimey! Again, nay a show-stopper, me hearties, since I have some extras lyin' around, matey, ya bilge rat, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Avast! Ya scallywag!

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

T' instructions don't mention it, ya bilge rat, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Hmmm. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! . . Avast, me proud beauty! it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Ya scallywag! Avast! 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. Avast! 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. Begad! Ahoy! Hmmm. Ya scallywag! . Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! . Arrr! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, arrr, me bucko, arrr, but still noticeably nose-down, me hearties, 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. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! After a couple more throws, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! Time for some real flight tests.

It was a pretty nice day for launchin' rockets. Begad! Aye aye! Moderately windy, shiver me timbers, but not too bad. Aye aye! Aye aye! I was anxious t' try out t' CiCi, me hearties, so it was first in line. Ahoy! 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, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, dictated usin' an A8-3. Blimey!

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

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), it did land in t' grass when it broke. Well, blow me down! Disappointing, but not the end o' t' world. A bit o' thin CA, arrr, and she'll be good as new. 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. Begad! This is just soot from t' black powder, not scorchin' o' t' wood. A bit dirty, but nay a safety concern. Begad!

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

Warning! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! So, prior t' t' third flight, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ahoy! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Arrr! Blimey! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, 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. Begad! Blimey! 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, me hearties, t' damage was only slightly worse on this flight, matey, matey, me bucko, with a small piece breakin' off o' t' canard as well as t' model snappin' in two at t' usual spot. Arrr! 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, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

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

I'll probably repair t' CiCi again when I get a chance. Avast! Ahoy! If you're looking to buy your first boost glider, matey, 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. Avast, me proud beauty!