NBAA Mourns the Passing of Aviation Visionary Russ Meyer

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) marks the loss of industry icon Russ Meyer, who passed away in his adopted hometown of Wichita, KS, after a brief illness, surrounded by his wife, Helen, and family.

“There is simply no one who has had a more positive and profound impact on general and business aviation than Russ Meyer,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “The planes he introduced, the monumental laws and regulations he shaped, the culture he created and nurtured – not just for the company he led for decades, but for the entire industry – is a tribute to his leadership, determination, grace, integrity and compassion. We will miss him, and we wish him Godspeed.”

Meyer was hired at Cessna, which is now part of Textron Aviation, in 1974, as an executive vice-president. He was elected CEO one year later, and went on to serve as the company’s chairman over three decades, before retiring in 2003.

At Cessna, Meyer oversaw the introduction and expansion of the Citation line of owner-flown business aircraft. More than 8,000 Citation jets have been sold over the past 50 years.

Meyer served three terms as chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), where he spearheaded an industrywide effort to secure congressional passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, which overhauled aviation product liability laws, drove a rebound in general aviation aircraft production and generated countless jobs.

“It was Russ Meyer’s promise that Cessna would return to manufacturing piston-engine aircraft that led to the passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act,” Bolen noted. “Russ fulfilled that promise immediately after standing in the Oval Office and watching President Clinton sign the bill into law.”

Meyer’s accomplishments on behalf of aviation began with his work to establish the Airport and Airway Trust Fund in 1970. He also helped ensure that general aviation received reasonable fuel allocations during that decade’s fuel crises, and was instrumental in keeping the national air traffic system moving during the 1981 controllers’ strike.

In 2008, when automobile manufacturers were called into question for flying to Washington on business aircraft to ask for a federal bailout – prompting a public image crisis for the industry – Meyer helped recruit golf and business legend Arnold Palmer, aerospace hero Neil Armstrong and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett to the industry campaign that set the record straight on business aviation. 

Meyer enjoyed a particularly close relationship with Palmer. In his autobiography, “A Golfer’s Life,” Palmer wrote that you that you can often judge a person by the company he keeps. Palmer named four individuals whose company he kept, and Meyer was the first person he mentioned.  

NBAA paid tribute to Meyer in 1995 with its highest honor, the Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, in recognition of his lifetime of significant identifiable contributions that have materially advanced aviation interests.

Also in 1995, the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) honored Meyer with the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to an individual for “significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States.” Under his leadership, Cessna was recognized by the NAA with two Robert J. Collier Trophies – one for the safety record of Citation jets, and another for the Citation X, which was then the world’s fastest business jet. 

Meyer was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2014, he was honored with the Wichita Aero Club Trophy for his nearly 50-year legacy of championing the industry’s interests. In 2024, he received the R.A. “Bob” Hoover Award from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

In 1987, Meyer launched the first Citation Special Olympics Airlift, in South Bend, IN. Today, the program has expanded to become the largest peacetime civil aircraft operation in the nation’s history, in which hundreds of Citation pilots and owners transport athletes to the National Special Olympics USA Games.

“It is a fitting tribute to Russ that, this summer, Textron will once again host the Special Olympics Airlift, an initiative that brings joy to athletes, coaches, aircraft owners and pilots, and volunteers,” Bolen noted.

Throughout his life, Meyer was active in a host of general aviation and philanthropic endeavors, including the Wichita Boys and Girls Club.

Meyer was a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. He served as a fighter pilot in both the U.S. Air Force (from 1955 to 1958), and with the U.S. Marine Air Corps (from 1958 to 1961), becoming one of the rare individuals to earn both Wings of Silver and Gold.

Prior to joining Cessna, Meyer worked as an attorney and served as president and CEO of Grumman American Aviation Corporation.