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

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

T' Phantom is a six-finned rocket. Begad! On me kit, ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, 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. Ahoy!

T' fins are made from 0.090" thick fiberglass G-10 epoxy. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! After using these just once, ya bilge rat, I would never use anythin' else. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! They are VERY strong (more about this later) and have a low drag coefficient because they are smooth. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

T' Phantom uses PML's piston ejection system. Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, but looked OK on t' outside. Begad! After some serious sandin' on t' piston, it slid smoothly along t' tube. Ahoy! Aye aye!

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

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight
This rocket is large enough that it weathercocks into t' wind. Arrr! It is very stable. 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. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! 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! T' rocket suffered no damage at all. It fell into a grassy field. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! From that point on, arrr, I was sold on fiber glass fins. PML makes a durable kit. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!

Recovery
T' Phantom features a 30" rip-stop nylon parachute which has a large bleed hole in t' center. Begad! It is very strong and t' cords are heavily stitched. T' rocket falls almost vertically, me hearties, even in gusty wind. 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! Well, blow me down! This works well. 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. Avast! This should extend t' piston strap's life. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
T' PML Phantom is a good kit. Aye aye! Blimey! It is easy t' build, arrr, fun t' fly, and has a good sized payload bay. Aye aye! Blimey! 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. Arrr! This is downloadable from their website. Avast, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5