Born in Plainfield, New Jersey to Philip Van Schuyler Sr. and Anne Sherwin he grew up on a family farm and learned to sail in Nantucket and Cape Cod.

His love of flying began as a teenager when he and a group of friends rebuilt a plane that had crashed. His first flight was over his high school football game in this recycled plane with flight skills acquired from a friend who had taken lessons. His tenacity to survive was nothing short of extraordinary.

Philip Van Schuyler, was “Bumpy Phil" to his family and "Captain Van" to his crew. He became a skilled instructor and aviator enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 where he flew open cockpit planes over the Atlantic Ocean vigilantly searching for German U-boats at the beginning of WWII.

Phil's life was forever impacted on May 20, 1942 when transferred by direct commission to the U.S. Army Air Corps becoming a B-17 flight instructor for crews slated for the European Theater. While ferrying a plane to N.Y. He met his bride-to-be Janice Kysor in his mother’s bookstore in Greenwich Village.

He became a B-29 squadron leader and trained his young crew in Cuba. Phil received his first B-29 named “Low and Lonely” the city of La Grange and successfully led his crew on over 32 dangerous missions in the Japan Air Offensive receiving many citations and awards. Phil emergency landed the 2nd airplane on the island Iwo Jima. These B-29 flights were the longest in history at that time. Casualties were high and many friends lost. He flew in the formation of B-29’s over the battleship Missouri when the peace treaty with Japan was signed.

In his lifetime he saw the Berlin Wall go up during the Cold War with the Soviets and then come down again. He volunteered and was commissioned by the U.S.A.F. to fly C-54’s in operation “Vittles” transporting vital supplies during the Berlin Airlift. This tremendous humanitarian effort successfully prevented the starvation of over 2 million people.

If that was not enough he continued to serve his country with the 98th Bombardment Wing during the Korean War flying his favorite aircraft the B-47 with trusted navigator Dibril Stowell. He was a member of the B-47 1000 Hour Club, and the Quiet Birdmen Club. He circled the globe with the Strategic Air Command in the 9th Bombardment Wing as a midair refueling expert.

Finally Phil ended his world tour prior to the Vietnam War and was a director of Safety at the Mountain Home AFB continuing to raise his family. Together with his wife Janice, they had three daughters and six grandchildren.

As a Ham radio operator K7GCD, Phil assisted in communications helping military families connect pre-internet. At retirement he moved to Boise and continued his flying career as a corporate pilot flying many of Idaho’s most influential executives and even the governor. Among those was his good friend and ski buddy Spence Eccles of First Security Bank.

He was a generous person, respected by many and always made friends with his airplane mechanics, loving anything with a well running engine and the comradery of likeminded people. He could fix most anything and always had an ongoing project to tinker with. In his retirement he enjoyed back country fly-ins, sailing in Payette Lake, skiing with friends and family and enjoying the cabin he and Jan had built with an A-frame kit from the Brown Tie and Lumber Company. He served as president for the Payette Lakes club in McCall.

Phil will be deeply missed by family and friends. We remember him with love and gratitude for his unfailing service to his wife, family, friends, and country. When we see a long jet trail high in the sky or a sail boat leaning hard against the wind we feel he is with us still.