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

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, printed on one side only! This be particularly surprisin' for this rocket, considerin' that t' Deltie, also from Edmond's Aerospace, me bucko, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Unlike most rockets, me hearties, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' instructions are fairly complete, me bucko, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, me hearties, me hearties, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Avast! Basically, ya bilge rat, t' instructions seem t' assume that you have trimmed a boost glider before. Avast! T' second thin' that I noticed about t' kit contents was that a piece was missing. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, 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. Begad! Blimey! No big deal, there are o' plenty o' ways t' mark a straight line on a tube. Avast! T' third thing that I noticed be that another piece was missing: t' launch lug. Again, matey, ya bilge rat, nay a show-stopper, since I have some extras lyin' around, matey, shiver me timbers, but a rather inauspicious beginning.

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

T' instructions don't mention it, but I attempted some hand-tossed glide tests prior t' flight. Hmmm. Avast, me proud beauty! . Aye aye! . Avast, me proud beauty! it glides ok, but flies and lands in a rather nose-down attitude. Begad! Aye aye! Nose-down enough that t' balsa nose cone hits before the front edge o' t' canard. Perhaps a small amount o' weight in t' aft might help. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! More hand-toss glide tests. Arrr! Hmmm. Ahoy! . . a slightly better glide attitude and landing, matey, but still noticeably nose-down, and thar be 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, but I didn't want t' add too much weight for fear o' adversely affecting the flight characteristics. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Time for some real flight tests.

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

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

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

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

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

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. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! So, prior t' t' third flight, I sanded an airfoil into t' top o' t' canard. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, and thereby lift t' nose in flight, givin' a flatter glide. Begad! Blimey! Hand-tossed glides didn't show any visible difference, but I be confident that it would be noticeable at speed. 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, shiver me timbers, 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. Aye aye! If your model also breaks on landing, ya bilge rat, 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.

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

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