U.S. Chamber Honors Business Aviation Veteran Russ Meyer


Chamber Honors Business Aviation Veteran Russ MeyerBefore a packed house at an annual Aviation Summit held April 12 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Cessna Aircraft Company Chairman Emeritus Russ Meyer received the prestigious Carol B. Hallett Award recognizing his more than four decades of service and achievement in aviation.

Presenting the award, Melissa Rudinger, senior vice president for government affairs of the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, outlined for attendees Mr. Meyer’s career path, from a fighter pilot serving in both the U.S. Air Force and The Marine Corps, to Grumman, to more than three decades at Cessna where she credited him with “revitalizing the general aviation sector.”

“Russ’s critical leadership role at the intersection of aviation, business, policy and philanthropy exemplifies the spirit of the Chamber and all it embodies,” she said. In addition, she cited Meyer’s launch of the Cessna Citation Special Olympics Airlift, which transports young handicapped athletes all over the world free of charge, and his focus on the safety record of the Citation line, as examples of the depth and breadth of Meyer’s involvement in the aviation sector.

Meyer, a 2009 inductee to the National Aviation Hall of Fame and recipient of the NBAA Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, was characteristically modest upon taking the stage to accept the award.

Meyer used his time at the podium to recount the contributions to the industry made by Hallett, for whom the award is named, and to sound a call for unity in the aviation community, encouraging all industry segments to work closely together.

Near the end of his remarks, Meyer offered a word of caution regarding “internecine infighting in the aviation sector.”

“We should work together, because we need each other – and our country needs us,” he said.