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on the cover

in
the

High

Flying

Philip Handleman’s love of
aviation is but one facet of this
Renaissance Man.

JOYCE WISWELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTOS BY BRETT MOUNTAIN

TOP: Philip Handleman
at his airport near Oxford
with his Cub Crafters Sport
Cub. ABOVE: Handleman’s
photography has graced
two U.S. commemorative
stamps.

I

t was 55 years ago, but
Philip Handleman can
clearly remember his first
time in an airplane — a classic
Piper J-3 Cub he rode with his par-
ents. That short flight in 1963 would
prove to have a major impact on his life.
In the ensuing decades, Handleman has
become an authoritative expert on avia-
tion, writing 23 books on the subject and
building a private airport and unofficial
museum to celebrate the spirit of flight.
At 67, Handleman’s The 25 Most
Influential Aircraft of All Time (Rowman
& Littlefield) just came out March 1.
Handleman delights in sharing his ency-
clopedic knowledge on the subject. His pri-
vate airport in Oxford, dubbed Handleman
Sky Ranch, includes an extensive library
with some 5,000 flying-related books. One
wall is devoted to first-editions, many per-
sonally inscribed by the giants of aviation
who have visited the 160-acre property,
which Handleman and his wife, Mary, have
owned for 30 years.
The couple feel a duty to preserve flight
history and promote aviation to younger
generations. In addition to the many cele-
brated pilots, military brass and astrophys-
icists (including a Nobel Prize winner) who
have visited Sky Ranch, the Handlemans
have also welcomed local school groups
and Scouting troops.

“As Einstein said, ‘We should
never lose our ability to be
awed by the wonders of the
universe,’” said Handleman,
who has held a pilot license for 47
years. “Flight is one of these wonders.”
Surrounded by picturesque farmland,
Sky Ranch has two 2,500-foot runways (one
going north-south, the other east-west),
two hangars housing a pair of airplanes,
a 40-acre nature preserve, private liv-
ing space, and a large parlor and kitchen
devoted to entertaining. The grounds are
punctuated by a few dozen gardens plant-
ed with wildflowers in homage to Huffman
Prairie, the Dayton, Ohio, site where the
Wright Brothers developed their flying
machine in a flower-strewn pasture.
“When we developed Sky Ranch, we
thought it would be nice to mimic that fea-
ture,” Handleman said.
Inside, original oil paintings by famed
aviation artists line the walls. “Our art is
mostly airplanes that were built not to hurt
people or do harm,” Handleman noted,
“but to go higher, faster and further.”

HOME ON THE RANCH

For now, the Handlemans are calling the
Sky Ranch home after selling their long-
time house in Birmingham a year ago.
“We’re hanging our hat here is what I
would say,” he said. “Wherever Mary wants

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March 8 • 2018

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