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. Blimey! A canard-style glider is simply a glider where t' canard is forward o' t' main wing. A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, me bucko, and then ejects some part, me hearties, matey, matey, usually t' engine, to change into a glider. Aye aye! This is as opposed t' a rocket glider, me bucko, where no parts are jettisoned, but rather other changes are made (movin' t' wing surfaces, changin' t' angle o' elevons, etc. Avast! ) t' make t' transition from vertical boost mode t' horizontal glide mode.

Upon openin' up t' zip-lock-bag-style package o' t' CiCi, ya bilge rat, I was first surprised by t' fact that t' instructions consisted entirely o' a single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet o' paper, arrr, printed on one side only! This was particularly surprisin' for this rocket, considerin' that t' Deltie, shiver me timbers, also from Edmond's Aerospace, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Blimey! Blimey! Unlike most rockets, matey, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! Basically, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. Blimey! Ahoy! 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, curved on one side, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, matey, shiver me timbers, 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! Aye aye! T' third thing that I noticed be that another piece be missing: t' launch lug. Begad! Again, me bucko, me bucko, nay a show-stopper, matey, since I have some extras lyin' around, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Ya scallywag!

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

T' instructions don't mention it, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Hmmm. Begad! Avast! . Avast! . Begad! it glides ok, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Begad! Nose-down enough that t' balsa nose cone hits before the front edge o' t' canard. Avast! 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. Blimey! Well, blow me down! More hand-toss glide tests. Arrr! Hmmm. Avast! . . Avast, me proud beauty! a slightly better glide attitude and landing, arrr, but still noticeably nose-down, me bucko, and thar was no discernible arc to t' left (so that it will glide in circles). Avast! I added just a tiny bit more clay t' t' inside o' t' corner formed by t' main win' and t' left vertical stabilizer. Ya scallywag! Begad! After a couple more throws, I still couldn't discern any arc t' the left, me hearties, arrr, but I didn't want t' add too much weight for fear o' adversely affecting the flight characteristics. Ahoy! Avast! Time for some real flight tests.

It was a pretty nice day for launchin' rockets. Avast! Aye aye! Moderately windy, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but not too bad. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I was anxious t' try out t' CiCi, so it was first in line. I figured the light weight o' t' rocket, combined with t' moderate wind and t' fact that this be t' maiden flight, matey, me hearties, dictated usin' an A8-3. Blimey!

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

As you can see from this photo, me hearties, matey, ya bilge rat, it snapped clean in half on landing. Note that although it's photographed here on cement (for clarity), arrr, it did land in t' grass when it broke. Blimey! Disappointing, but not the end o' t' world. Well, blow me down! Begad! A bit o' thin CA, me bucko, and she'll be good as new. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

Unfortunately, t' second flight, under nearly calm wind conditions, shiver me timbers, was an exact duplicate o' t' first. Well, blow me down! T' A8-3 gave a good, me hearties, straight boost, shiver me timbers, with a nice transition t' glide, a decent but slightly too rapid, me bucko, nose-down descent, me bucko, and a landin' with a crack. Arrr! Avast! Broke clean in half again, this time about 3mm further rearward (CA is strong stuff). Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! So, prior t' t' third flight, me hearties, arrr, ya bilge rat, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ya scallywag! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, me bucko, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Blimey! Blimey! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I was confident that it would be noticeable at speed. Avast, me proud beauty! DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil was 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, with a small piece breakin' off o' t' canard as well as t' model snappin' in two at t' usual spot. Ya scallywag! If your model also breaks on landing, matey, and you want t' try t' airfoil t' canard t' help that situation, shiver me timbers, start with a very slight airfoil, and perform actual launches before sandin' any further. Avast!

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

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