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

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

T' Phantom is a six-finned rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! On me kit, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, one o' t' slots on t' body tube be slightly off about 0.1" so t' fins are nay aligned perfectly. Through-the-wall fin attachment was easy, matey, however, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag!

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

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. My main body tube was out -of-round on the inside, matey, matey, but looked OK on t' outside. After some serious sandin' on t' piston, it slid smoothly along t' tube. Begad! Aye aye!

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

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

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

Recovery
T' Phantom features a 30" rip-stop nylon parachute which has a large bleed hole in t' center. Well, blow me down! It is very strong and t' cords are heavily stitched. T' rocket falls almost vertically, ya bilge rat, even in gusty wind. Well, blow me down! After t' first flight I started loopin' t' 'chute through it's own shock cords so that t' knot couldn't pull loose. Well, blow me down! This works well. 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. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
T' PML Phantom is a good kit. Begad! It is easy t' build, me hearties, arrr, fun t' fly, shiver me timbers, 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.

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5