On January 22 of 1970, the first Boeing 747 entered service on a Pan Am flight between New York and London, and a new era of Jumbo Jet travel was born. But it was old news to Arnold Palmer—he'd already piloted the 747.

As he wrote in A Golfer's Llife, he was once invited by the chairman of Boeing to fly with the test pilots on one of the first 747s to come off the production line in Seattle. "Brother, did I jump at that opportunity," he wrote. And when the pilot invited Palmer to take the controls, "Man oh man, was I in heaven taking that big baby up. We put her through some impressive maneuvers and brought her back down to earth—but I stayed up in the clouds for days just thinking about the experience." Just one more incredible moment for the golfer and pilot who reached the greatest heights.

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