In early 1957, as a junior at Denison University in Ohio, Phil began taking flying lessons at the local airport. He received his private rating after a total of only 41 hours of flight time. His first passengers set the tone for the kind of flying that has meant the most to him for over 56 years: introducing children and others to the world of flight.
After graduation, Phil served 3.5 years on active duty with U.S. Army counterintelligence. In 1959, while still on active duty, he joined the Jersey Aero Club (JAC) then based at the Asbury Air Terminal at the Jersey shore. The JAC is New Jersey's oldest continuously active flying club currently operating out of Lakewood airport. While his career track took him into elementary education, the JAC allowed him to pursue the two great passions of his life: recreational flying and amateur astronomy. He flew JAC aircraft once to Florida in 1993 to watch the STS-61 launch of the first repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, once to Virginia for the opening of the NASM's Udvar-Hazy center, and twice to witness and photograph total solar eclipses in Virginia. He has flown with eclipse-chasing groups around the world to chase the lunar shadow on 10 other occasions.
Thanks to the JAC, Phil has been able to stay active in general aviation for 56 continuous years. This made him eligible for the FAA's Wright Brothers Master Pilot award which he received in June, 2008. After almost 1500 hours of PIC time flying with family, friends and JAC colleagues, he still gets the same sense of excitement he felt on that first lesson in 1957 in a J-3 Cub. Many have said after their first flight with him: "I can tell- you really do love the thrill of flying".