Chicago's Midway Airport: The First seventy-five Years by Christopher Lynch Lake Claremont Press Phone: 773/583-7800 www.lakeclaremont.com

Philip Felper began flying in the 1930's in Chicago, first at Ashburn Field on the South side of Chicago, and later at Chicago Municipal (Midway) Airport. Although he was a good pilot, it was baseball that got him noticed by one commercial airline.

As a teenager, he applied for a job as a mechanic at American Airlines in the 1930's. Phil had an A & P mechanics license, which he felt would at least get him into the hangar. However, the man who interviewed him was more interested in whether he could play baseball. "I can play shortstop", Phil replied, which seemed to please his interviewer, who was planning to field a company team. He invited Phil to try out, and that afternoon, Phil played the best game of baseball in his life. Of course, it was no surprise that he got the job.

In the early years of aviation, it was not unusual for pilots to start as mechanics. In the era of unreliable engines, knowing every purr of your airplane's engine could save one's life. So Phil worked hard on the American Fleet. Soon, he was flying for American as well. After getting checked out in a DC-3, Phil became a full time pilot. During World War II, Phil, as well as all Commercial pilots, became part of the War effort, ferrying planes over the Atlantic via New Foundland.

After the War, when private companies began to build corporate fleets, Phil joined up, spending the next four decades flying all over the world. He would retire as chief pilot for Square D corporation.

After retiring, Phil became a consultant for Monarch Air Service at Midway Airport. Phil's many entertaining stories are chronicled in Christopher Lynch's book Midway Airport: The First Seventy Five Years.