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 on January 31st, choosing not to renew his certification after nearly 55 years and 20,000 hours of flying.
His motivation to learn to fly in 1956 stemmed from a fear of flying after a lightning strike incident, leading him to a distinguished aviation career that included setting a round-the-world speed record in 1976.
Palmer decided to stop flying because he felt he could no longer perform as well as he once could, similar to his professional golf career.
He remains a high-profile and beloved ambassador for both aviation and golf.

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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.