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

Construction
T' PML Phantom be me first HP rocket. Ya scallywag! Construction be straight-forward with through-the-wall fins. Begad! T' instruction sheet, although very brief, me bucko, was concise and clear.

T' Phantom is a six-finned rocket. Blimey! On me kit, 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 be easy, me hearties, however, it be 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. Arrr!

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

T' Phantom uses PML's piston ejection system. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! I found that me piston hung up in t' tube about half-way down. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! My main body tube was out -of-round on the inside, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but looked OK on t' outside. Blimey! After some serious sandin' on t' piston, it slid smoothly along t' tube. Aye aye! Blimey!

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

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight
This rocket is large enough that it weathercocks into t' wind. Avast, me proud beauty! It is very stable. Avast! Aye aye! CG is several inches ahead o' CP. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! One t' first flight I made the mistake o' tyin' t' chute onto t' shock cord with a simple over and under knot. Ya scallywag! 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. Arrr! T' rocket suffered no damage at all. Aye aye! It fell into a grassy field. Well, blow me down! From that point on, I be sold on fiber glass fins. Avast! PML makes a durable kit. Begad!

Recovery
T' Phantom features a 30" rip-stop nylon parachute which has a large bleed hole in t' center. Aye aye! It is very strong and t' cords are heavily stitched. T' rocket falls almost vertically, arrr, even in gusty wind. Ya scallywag! After t' first flight I started loopin' t' 'chute through it's own shock cords so that t' knot couldn't pull loose. Aye aye! This works well. Begad! Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! It is easy t' build, me hearties, arrr, fun t' fly, arrr, and has a good sized payload bay. Begad! Aside from t' quibbles o' t' finishin' problems I had with this particular kit, I would recommend it t' anyone startin' out in HPR. Aye aye!

PML also posts flight data for all their rockets with various engines. Blimey! This is downloadable from their website. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5