William P. "Phil" Heitman

Phil Heitman started flying in the latter part of 1988 at the age of 32. Currently, he has amassed 6,000 hours in 60 different types of aircraft, with over 1,600 of these hours as a flight instructor. He holds an airline transport pilot certificate, is a gold seal certified flight instructor and instrument instructor for single and multi engine airplanes and also has advanced and instrument ground instructor certificates. He has 3 college degrees: an A.S. in Science from Chowan College in

Murfreesboro, NC; a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Wilmington, NC; and A.A.S. in Aviation Management and Career Pilot Technology from Lenoir Community College in Kinston, NC.Phil has currently completed through phase 11 in the FAA's Pilot Proficiency Award Program and is a volunteer FAA Aviation Safety Counselor. In 1997 he was selected as the Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year for the FAA's Southern Region. He also holds sanctioned national and world aviation speed records in aircraft weight class C-1.c, speed over a recognized course, Winston-Salem to Kitty Hawk in a 1969 Beechcraft Bonanza 36 (N8096R). Now working as an airline pilot, he still instructs and basically loves to fly.