//Co-Pilot Club - The Pilot
Phil Zamagias is known in the Bible Society as ‘The Flying BibleMan’. He has been in that role since early 2002 when he took over from Laurie Edwards .
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Phil began his aviation career as an engineering apprentice with QANTAS in 1976. He enjoyed fixing aeroplanes so much that he finished his apprenticeship as the ‘Apprentice of the Year’ and won a scholarship for further study.
Like many engineers, Phil decided to learn to fly; just for fun. Having become a committed Christian not long before that, he was challenged by a friend to use his new skills in the Lord’s service. “I thought I was safe” says Phil, “because surely you couldn’t serve God in aviation”.
How wrong could he be! The church he was attending at the time (St Peter’s Anglican Church Cooks River) had the custom of going to a missionary convention every year – the CMS Summer School at Katoomba. Phil (and his wife Leeanne) came face to face with real missionaries and saw the need for committed Christians to put the Kingdom of God first in their lives.
A lunch meeting with Mrs Elisabeth Elliott (whose husband Jim was martyred in Ecuador in 1956) proved a turning point for Phil and Leeanne. It was through that church that Phil learnt about Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and started thinking about using his aviation training in missionary work.
Phil and Leeanne then took a trip to Papua New Guinea and North Australia to check out the opportunities for ministry with MAF. They came back to the realization that God wanted them to be missionaries.
After two years of Bible training at Sydney Missionary & Bible College , they went to Ballarat for MAF Orientation training. They were then posted to Arnhem Land and served for seven years before returning to Sydney .
Phil was invited to apply for the job of ‘Flying BibleMan’ when Laurie was due to retire. He was accepted and returned to the Top End in February 2002. “it was a humbling experience” said Phil “to see how many people remembered me from my MAF days”.
Those links with the community have been very helpful to Phil in his new role and together with Leeanne, they now serve the church by making the Word of God available in a language that people can understand, in a format people can use and at a price that people can afford.
Phil has an Air Transport Pilot License, Command Instrument Rating and the background of his engineering licenses (from Boeing 747s down to Cessnas) to draw upon as he operates in a harsh and unforgiving environment.
Download the FBM Prayer Card and screen background.
“Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God’s people.” Ephesians 6:18 CEV