1. Just who is Flyin Phil?
Flyin Phil is an alias I use on many amusement park "fan"
websites and forums. When I owned an airplane a while
back I used to contribute to these sites by shooting aerial
photos of roller coasters and other attractions as they
were being built and upon completion.
2. Why create this website?
Ever since obtaining my pilot license in spring 1995 I have
been keen to shoot photos of all locations that looked unique
from an aerial perspective. After shooting a number of
these aerials, I decided that creating a website to display
my work to the world would be a good idea. My motto is the
same as it has always been:
"I Hope You Enjoy the View from Above"
3. What type of aircraft do you fly ?
I once owned a Cessna 172 Skyhawk with a 180 hp Lycoming
engine and shared many memorable flights with my father.
After his passing in 2016 I had to sell the airplane due to
financial considerations. Even if I didn't fly, my fixed
yearly costs were $5,000. This number included parking,
insurance & maintenance, plus a few other incidentals.
Because of this I sold my beloved Skyhawk after a little
over 20 years of ownership. I now rent a Skyhawk from a
local airport and, though my father is no longer my copilot
and I do miss him on every flight, I still enjoy taking to the
skies to shoot aerials.
4. When did you get your pilot's license ?
After graduating college in January 1994, I began flight
training at Lincoln Park airport in northern New Jersey.
I soloed after 6 hours instruction and obtained my Private
Pilot License in spring of 1995 for a total cost of about
$5,000. I'm happy I chose to obtain my license when I did
because it's now closer to double that amount.
5. What altitude do you fly when shooting photos ?
I generally fly between 1,000-2,000 feet for most of my
photo shoots. When I'm at this altitude I slow the aircraft
to 90 mph which gives me more time to setup and
photograph the site before I whiz by the. When I wish to
shoot photos of New York City and Philadelphia, I climb to
an altitude of 8,000 feet which gives me a buffer of 1,000
feet over each of their airspaces. Doing so allows me to
take my time without needing to talk or listen to an aircraft
controlling agency on my radio.
6. What camera do you use to shoot your photos ?
I now use a Canon SX20 with 12.1 MP and 20X optical zoom,
though I previously used four other cameras which you can
read about on my Hangar Talk page.
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