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

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

T' Phantom is a six-finned rocket. Blimey! On me kit, ya bilge rat, 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, however, arrr, 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. Aye aye!

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

T' Phantom uses PML's piston ejection system. Ya scallywag! Avast! 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. After some serious sandin' on t' piston, it slid smoothly along t' tube. Begad!

PML's Phantom uses a 38mm engine tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' date, arrr, 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. Well, blow me down!

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

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

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
T' PML Phantom is a good kit. Begad! It is easy t' build, me hearties, me hearties, fun t' fly, and has a good sized payload bay. Ahoy! Aside from t' quibbles o' t' finishin' problems I had with this particular kit, arrr, shiver me timbers, 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.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5