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

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

T' Phantom is a six-finned rocket. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, 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. Blimey! Begad!

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

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

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

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

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

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
T' PML Phantom is a good kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It is easy t' build, fun t' fly, arrr, and has a good sized payload bay. Aside from t' quibbles o' t' finishin' problems I had with this particular kit, shiver me timbers, I would recommend it t' anyone startin' out in HPR. Begad!

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5