Flying High
There is no way Arnold Palmer could have enjoyed so many golf club memberships [see article on previous pages], play in so many tournaments, design so many golf courses and fulfil so many other business and charity commitments had he not embraced private
“Arnie didn’t just like to fly. He loved to fly”
Russ Meyer was one of Arnold Palmer’s closest friends and they both enjoyed outstandingly successful careers in their own ways. Meyer was CEO of Cessna, building the company to become the world’s leading manufacturer of private jets, before becoming its Chairman Emeritus.
“Arnie didn‘t just like to fly. He loved to fly,” started Meyer in a fitting tribute at the memorial service for Palmer in Latrobe in October 2016. “The faster the speed and the higher the altitude, the better he liked it.”
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) once used Palmer’s words to spearhead a “No Plane No Gain” marketing campaign. Palmer had explained that using business aircraft “is the single most productive thing I have done. It’s given me the opportunity to compete more effectively in golf and in business, and it’s enabled me to do both from a place not served by the airlines.”
In 1999, Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe Pa. named its airfield the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, and Palmer received the NBAA’s Meritorious Service to Aviation Award in 2010. This is the association’s highest honor, given to an individual who has made identifiable contributions to advance aviation.
Palmer leased and owned a series of private jets over his lifetime, his last being his cherished favorite. Indeed, Palmer was the first customer worldwide to take delivery of the Cessna Citation X, which he described as a “wonder ship”, and which was powered by the peerless Rolls-Royce AE 3007C engine.
Added Meyer: “Arnie was not just a pilot. He was an outstanding pilot. In aviation we describe the really special pilots as having good hands, and I can assure you that Arnie’s hands were just as comfortable on the controls of an aircraft as the grip of a golf club.”