Capt. Arnie's Final Flight

Capt. Arnie’s Final Flight

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, February 01, 2011 at 09:01 PM ET

Verified

Arnold Palmer in the cockpit of
his Citation X

Key Takeaways:

Golf legend Arnold Palmer retired as pilot in command after nearly 55 years and close to 20,000 flight hours, choosing not to renew his certification due to a felt decline in his abilities.
Palmer had a distinguished flying career, which included piloting a Boeing 747 and setting a still-standing round-the-world speed record in 1976.
Ironically, Palmer began flying in 1956 after a frightening lightning strike incident on a commercial flight, driven by a desire to understand what was happening in an airplane.

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It’s the end of an era. Golf legend Arnold Palmer has made his final flight as pilot in command, calling it quits after almost 55 years at the controls of everything from open-cockpit biplanes to a Boeing 747. Along the way, he amassed nearly 20,000 hours in the cockpit.

Palmer, 81, flew his Cessna Citation X from Palm Springs, California, back to his home in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, January 31, his last trip in the left seat. On arrival he announced that he would not renew his pilot certification, which expired that day.