Brief
Single stage high-power model rocket with a 30" parachute recovery.

Construction
T' PML Phantom be me first HP rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Construction be straight-forward with through-the-wall fins. Ahoy! Blimey! T' instruction sheet, shiver me timbers, arrr, although very brief, was concise and clear. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

T' Phantom is a six-finned rocket. Avast! On me kit, arrr, one o' t' slots on t' body tube was slightly off about 0.1" so t' fins are nay aligned perfectly. Through-the-wall fin attachment was easy, ya bilge rat, however, it was a bit difficult to get good epoxy fillets on t' inside o' t' tube...especially since two o' the fins have a very long root edge. Begad!

T' fins are made from 0.090" thick fiberglass G-10 epoxy. Ahoy! Arrr! After using these just once, I would never use anythin' else. They are VERY strong (more about this later) and have a low drag coefficient because they are smooth. Blimey!

T' Phantom uses PML's piston ejection system. Avast, me proud beauty! I found that me piston hung up in t' tube about half-way down. Avast, me proud beauty! My main body tube be out -of-round on the inside, but looked OK on t' outside. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! After some serious sandin' on t' piston, it slid smoothly along t' tube. Well, blow me down! Avast!

PML's Phantom uses a 38mm engine tube. Blimey! T' date, matey, I have only flown it on 29mm engines. T' kit does nay include a 38mm t' 29mm adapter. Avast! This will be me level 1 certification rocket.

Finishing
Finishin' this rocket was easy. I tried somethin' different. I covered t' tube in MonoKote. Blimey! Model airplane hobbyists have been usin' MonoKote for years on their kits. Aye aye! Begad! It is SO EASY t' cover t' tube o' a rocket, arrr, and t' finish looks beautiful. T' spiral seams disappear. Arrr! Aye aye! I chose metallic blue and chrome for the body, with white fins and nose cone. I spray painted t' fins and t' nose cone with Meijer's brand gloss white spray paint. Avast! Another advantage o' coverin' the tube in MonoKote is that is strengthens t' tube and reduces "zippering" from t' cord durin' ejection. Aye aye!

T' nose cone that came with me kit had a large imperfection along t' seam. Arrr! I sanded and spray painted several coats, but was never able to make t' seam disappear. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight
This rocket is large enough that it weathercocks into t' wind. Avast! Ahoy! It is very stable. Ya scallywag! Blimey! CG is several inches ahead o' CP. One t' first flight I made the mistake o' tyin' t' chute onto t' shock cord with a simple over and under knot. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' AeroTech F50-6T single-use engine ejected immediately after burnout. T' result was that t' parachute deployed at t' rocket's maximum velocity. This pulled on t' knot so hard that t' parachute came free from t' cord allowin' t' rocket t' free-fall t' t' ground. Blimey! T' rocket suffered no damage at all. It fell into a grassy field. Begad! Avast! From that point on, I be sold on fiber glass fins. Arrr! Well, blow me down! PML makes a durable kit.

Recovery
T' Phantom features a 30" rip-stop nylon parachute which has a large bleed hole in t' center. Avast! It is very strong and t' cords are heavily stitched. T' rocket falls almost vertically, me bucko, even in gusty wind. Ya scallywag! Avast! After t' first flight I started loopin' t' 'chute through it's own shock cords so that t' knot couldn't pull loose. Begad! This works well. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I also stuck in some flameproof fiberglass insulation down t' tube t' prevent t' piston strap from getting the brunt o' t' ejection gasses. This should extend t' piston strap's life. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
T' PML Phantom is a good kit. It is easy t' build, me bucko, fun t' fly, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and has a good sized payload bay. Begad! Aside from t' quibbles o' t' finishin' problems I had with this particular kit, arrr, I would recommend it t' anyone startin' out in HPR. Well, blow me down!

PML also posts flight data for all their rockets with various engines. Begad! This is downloadable from their website. Begad!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5