Philip Donlay’s life was shaped by two distinct events. At the age of seventeen, he earned his pilot’s license, and at eighteen was published in a national aviation magazine. The combination of these two passions: flying and writing, has led to successful careers as both a professional pilot and a novelist.
Donlay was a flight instructor prior to becoming copilot of a private jet based in Jeddah, flying for a Saudi Prince. After months of flying over wind-swept deserts, he returned to the States and took a job flying a corporate jet for a Fortune 500 company, a position he held for twenty-eight years.
Today, he is licensed to fly six different jets and holds the civilian title of Senior Captain. His travels have taken him to over forty countries on five continents. Currently, Donlay divides his time between Minneapolis and the San Juan Islands. He is the author of four novels, Category Five, Code Black, Zero Separation, and Deadly Echoes.