Arnold Palmer Passed Away

Stingray Don

Stingray Don

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Stingray Don
I just heard this on the news. Something I did not know is that he was a pilot:

An avid pilot for over 50 years, Palmer thought he would pilot a plane for the last time on January 31, 2011. He flew from Palm Springs, California to Orlando, Florida in his Cessna Citation X.[23] His pilot's medical certificate expired that day and he chose not to renew it. However, public FAA records show he was issued a new third class medical in May 2011.

Palmer's early "fear of flying" was what led him to pursue his pilots license. After almost 55 years, he logged nearly 20,000 hours of flight time in various aircraft.
 
Knew he flew and had a Citation X, but had no idea he had so many hours. RIP Mr Palmer.
 
Raise a glass...

chilled-drinks-arnold-palmer1.jpg
 
Years ago someone dragged me along to the Golf Hall of Fame and museum near Jacksonville. There was a display about Arnold Palmer's flying. RIP.
 
A class act. RIP Arnie (N1AP).
 
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I never knew he was a pilot, he was quite the guy. Sad to hear of his passing.
 
He was one of the most popular golfers of all time if not the most popular. He was the common man's golfer and always a gentleman. Something that today's athletes should try harder to be. RIP.
 
"A pilot since 1956, Arnold Palmer has amassed more than 19,000 flight hours and earned multiple type ratings. 'Arnie' took flying lessons at his hometown airport in Latrobe, PA, at a field that bears his name. Palmer has owned and flown numerous business aircraft, from an Aero Commander to a Citation X. He even set an around-the-world speed record in a Learjet 36."

https://www.nbaa.org/news/pr/2010/20101020-081.php
 
He was a great golfer and by all accounts a great human being! He flew almost every Citation model and I think he was usually one of the first to get the new ones when they came out. RIP
 
There's used to be an old (circa 1962) YouTube video of him at the United Airlines training center in Denver getting some refresher training.
 
My first flying job was out of the Palmer Hangar in MCO
Tailwinds..
 
I had a look at FlightAware. It looks like he flew from Orlando to Pennsylvania the day before he died - the report says he was waiting for cardiac surgery.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1AP

Got a flight in his Citation the day before he went out. Not a bad thing.
 
Latrobe has a very nice airport, with a larger-than-life statue of Arnie out front. The chop house in the old terminal building is very good, and the waitresses understand when you decline the wine because you flew in to eat.
 
What a great story. I like the comment how the AF guys pull up on the break. True in that I was in the back of an F4-J going into Mugu with an F-16 from Nellis on our wing. Break is 800'. AF guy had a hard deck of 1K. Not this day, he didn't break off and followed us on in. At the hot wash the kid said he just couldn't break off flying on the wing of an F-4
 
Mooney Fan said:
What a great story. I like the comment how the AF guys pull up on the break. True in that I was in the back of an F4-J going into Mugu with an F-16 from Nellis on our wing. Break is 800'. AF guy had a hard deck of 1K. Not this day, he didn't break off and followed us on in. At the hot wash the kid said he just couldn't break off flying on the wing of an F-4
Click to expand...

Yeah “carrier break” is always lower than a traditional overhead. 800 ft break and 600 ft pattern are typical. Never seen an AF aircraft popping up doing a normal overhead though. They just peel off like other services.
 
my first thought when I saw this necro-post was "really? he died AGAIN??!!??"
 
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