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

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 was particularly surprisin' for this rocket, considerin' that t' Deltie, matey, also from Edmond's Aerospace, ya bilge rat, had a 10+ page booklet for instructions. Although sparse, t' instructions here are obvious and straightforward. Begad! Aye aye! Unlike most rockets, t' order o' assembly for t' CiCi is largely irrelevant. T' instructions are fairly complete, me bucko, except that they never mention trimmin' t' glider, me bucko, or t' supplied lump o' clay and what t' do with it. Begad! Basically, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! Begad! T' instructions say that thar be a small, triangular piece o' wood, curved on one side, me hearties, ya bilge rat, that can be used t' mark a straight line on t' engine tube, 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. Again, nay a show-stopper, me hearties, since I have some extras lyin' around, but a rather inauspicious beginning. Well, blow me down! Avast!

T' kit itself is quite nice, arrr, 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. Well, blow me down! Avast! Construction was simple, quick and easy, with no fuss. Full assembly took me about 1 hour, arrr, arrr, but could be done much faster. Begad! Ahoy! Make no mistake, t' quality o' t' parts is first-rate, shiver me timbers, and t' kit was well thought out. Avast! T' only time I deviated from the instructions be with t' clay. Arrr! 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! Blimey! T' purpose here was t' make t' CiCi tilt left a little bit in flight so that it would glide in circles, ya bilge rat, me bucko, rather than in a straight line. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! )

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

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

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

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

Also visible in this photo be t' slight blackenin' in t' forward half of the center o' t' main wing. Begad! Begad! This is just soot from t' black powder, not scorchin' o' t' wood. Begad! A bit dirty, but nay a safety concern. Ahoy!

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

Warning! Do nay try t' followin' with your model!Bein' a bit o' a tinkerer, me hearties, I thought I'd make a more serious attempt t' fix that nose-down attitude. Aye aye! So, me bucko, 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. Aye aye! Begad! I left t' bottom o' t' canard completely flat. Begad! Begad! T' idea was to have this canard generate more lift, me bucko, 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. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! DO NOT TRY THIS WITH YOUR MODEL! T' airfoil be much too severe, ya bilge rat, and caused t' model t' arc over under power and plow into the ground at full speed! Ironically, t' damage be only slightly worse on this flight, matey, with a small piece breakin' off o' t' canard as well as t' model snappin' in two at t' usual spot. 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. Blimey!

Overall, matey, me bucko, I give t' CiCi a 3 out o' 5 points. T' kit itself gets a 4 out o' 5 points, havin' high quality parts, matey, but missin' a couple minor pieces. Begad! T' instructions should include trimmin' instructions, me bucko, but were otherwise adequate, arrr, despite their brevity. T' construction gets a ratin' of 4. 5 out o' 5 points bein' simple and straightforward. Arrr! T' flights (before the airfoiling, me bucko, at least), ya bilge rat, were both excellent, ratin' a 4 out o' 5 points. O' course, t' big downer was t' recovery, particularly t' landin' damage, which is easily fixed, me bucko, though nay easily avoided. Blimey! 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, matey, I'd have t' recommend t' Edmond's Aerospace Deltie. Begad! Blimey! But, t' CiCi certainly has t' potential t' be a great boost glider, perhaps as your third or fourth boost glider model. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey!