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Phil Webb

Pensacola, Florida

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Phil Webb and Army Air Corps B-25 Pilot John Beard Over Pensacola Beach During Veterans Flight 2014

2019 will be Phil Webb’s sixth year flying with Veterans Flight as part of the Pensacola Beach Air Show. Phil is a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander whose last Navy assignment was Schools Command at NAS Pensacola where he taught aviation weather, engines and aircraft systems. Phil liked Pensacola so much that he bought a home in the East Hill neighborhood and is now a permanent resident.

Phil graduated from high school in his home town of Kansas City, Missouri, and received undergraduate degrees from the University of Missouri. He later earned a master’s degree in Military Science Air Power from the American Military University.

Phil’s military service began in the United States Marine Corps in 1988, and he remained in the reserves until entering the Navy in 1995. After receiving his wings he flew the SH60B Seahawk helicopter in Atsugi, Japan with the HSL-51 Warlords. He returned to the Pensacola area when he was assigned as an instructor pilot to helicopter training squadron HT-18 at NAS Whiting Field.  

Following his stint in the training command he was rewarded with a cushy assignment as Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Malta from 2008 until 2012, before returning to Pensacola for his final assignment at Schools Command.

In addition to being a Naval Aviator, Phil holds an FAA commercial pilot certificate with instrument rating, and is FAA certificated flight instructor for helicopters. He has more than 3,200 logged flight hours.

Phil’s Stearman is a PT-27 that was manufactured in June 1942 for the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is one of 300 Stearmans built for the RCAF and served in Canada from June until December 1942.

Experience quickly proved Stearmans and the brutal Canadian winters weren’t compatible, Phil's Stearman was moved to Terrell, Texas in 1943 where it served at the No. 1 British Flying Training School.

When the war ended in 1945 it was sold as surplus to a civilian pilot.

 

Phil purchased his Stearman in Chino, California in October 2012, and flew it to Pensacola where it is frequently seen flying over Pensacola Beach.

You can Visit the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum’s website. 

https://www.bftsmuseum.org/

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Phil Webb Briefs Army Air Corps B-25 Pilot John Beard Before Veterans Flight 2014's First Flight

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