​Former Cessna CEO Russ Meyer Jr. Dies at 93

Russ Meyer Jr., longtime chair, CEO, and later chairman emeritus of Cessna Aircraft, now known as Textron Aviation, has gone west. Meyer, 93, died in Wichita yesterday after a brief illness.

“The Textron Aviation team is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. Russell ‘Russ’ Meyer Jr., who served as chairman and CEO, and Chairman Emeritus, of Cessna Aircraft Company for nearly three decades,” the company said in a media release. “Mr. Meyer was an aviation legend who believed the industry should serve a higher purpose, and he lived that belief through action. He leaves an enduring legacy of innovation, advocacy, and service. Thousands of lives were shaped by his mentorship, his generosity, and his belief in what others could achieve.”

From 1975 to 2003 Meyer served as chair and CEO of Cessna.

He lobbied Congress to pass the General Aviation Revitalization Act, which limited manufacturer liability. Prior to the bill’s passage, when there was an aviation accident, no matter the cause, the manufacturer was sued. The result of these lawsuits was an increase in operational costs, and manufacturers across the board significantly cut back on the number of aircraft built, resulting in mass layoffs.

Meyer was hailed as a leader in efforts to pass the bill, which became law in 1994, and manufacturers slowly ramped up production. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, new Cessnas were again rolling off the production line and on to flight school ramps around the world.

Meyer was also known for creating the Special Olympics Airlift, which transported athletes to and from the games for the better part of 40 years. He also made it possible for underserved residents of Wichita to get job skills with the creation of the 21st Street Training Program.

Meyer was born on July 19, 1932, in Davenport, Iowa. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University in 1954, followed in 1961 by a doctor of law degree from Harvard Law School.

He served his country in two branches of the military, flying jets for the Air Force between 1955 and 1958 and as a member of the Marine Corps Reserves from 1958 to 1961.

Meyer used his law degree to specialize in aviation matters. This led to a position as president and CEO of the Grumman American Aviation Corporation from 1966 to 1974.

In 1974 he joined Cessna, serving in the role of executive vice president. A year later he was promoted to CEO. He led the company from 1975 to 2000, then again from 2002 to 2004. He was instrumental in the development of the Cessna Citation business jet.

He also served multiple terms as chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

He won many awards for his contributions to aviation, including being a two-time recipient of the Collier Trophy, the first time in 1986, jointly with Cessna for the worldwide safety record of the Citation fleet, and again in 1996 for the development of the Citation X, which was the world’s fastest business jet at the time.

In 1995 he was awarded the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jack Pelton, who replaced Meyer at Cessna in 2004 and held the position to 2011, had this to say about his predecessor’s passing: “Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, William Piper, and others built the early aircraft, but Russ catapulted general aviation to the forefront. He not only grew Cessna into a major aircraft manufacturer, but with his work in the broader industry was part of his incredible vision of where this all could go.”