The San Diego Air & Space Museum is remembering Russ Meyer, Jr., Cessna CEO, the longtime chair, CEO and chairman emeritus of Cessna Aircraft. Meyer passed away March 4, 2026 in Wichita at the age of 93 after a brief illness.

“Russ Meyer one of the most influential leaders in general and business aviation over the last half century,” said Jim Kidrick, President & CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. “His influence cannot be overstated. He set the bar. He built Cessna, now Textron Aviation, into the unrivaled standard-bearer for aviation excellence in the aviation industry. The San Diego Air & Space Museum remembers him fondly for his incredible achievements. Our prayers are with his family.”

Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, William Piper and others built the early aircraft, but Meyer catapulted general aviation to the forefront, said Jack Pelton, former Cessna CEO, who followed Meyer in the role. He not only grew Cessna into a major aircraft manufacturer, but with his work in the broader industry, “he had this incredible vision of where this all could go,” said Pelton, now chair and CEO of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Born in Davenport, Iowa, Meyer was a Harvard-educated lawyer and a former Air Force fighter pilot. After practicing aviation law, he became president and CEO of Grumman American Aviation Corp., serving until Dwayne Wallace, Cessna board chair and Clyde Cessna’s nephew, invited him to join the company in 1974.

Meyer served as chair and CEO of Cessna, now Textron Aviation, from 1975-2003, remaining as chairman emeritus.

Meyer will long be credited with saving the general aviation industry with the passage of a bill limiting manufacturer product liability. Whenever there was an accident of any kind, it was the manufacturer who was sued no matter the cause, and costs skyrocketed.

As a result, Cessna, along with almost every manufacturer, halted production of all single-engine piston aircraft in the mid-1980s. It was the toughest decision of his career, Meyer once told Aviation Week. Paired with an economic downturn, employment dropped to a record low. Meyer helped lead a lobbying effort in Congress, resulting in the 1994 passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act, limiting product liability. It revitalized the industry—Meyer made good on his promise to restart production.

Nicknamed the “father of the Citation line,” under Meyer’s leadership, Cessna delivered nearly 5,000 Citation business jets. His favorite was the Citation X, he once told Aviation Week, a fast jet with a top speed of Mach 0.92.

Meyer launched the company’s Citation Special Olympics Airlift, recruiting Citation owners to donate their aircraft and pilots to fly athletes and coaches to the games and back. He opened the Cessna 21st Street Training program, touted by then-President Bill Clinton for providing skills training and jobs to struggling adults completing the program. He and his wife, Helen, spearheaded construction of a 42,000-ft.2 Boys & Girls Club facility and campaigns for GraceMed Health Clinics, providing healthcare to low-income families.

He also helped create and promote the Be A Pilot program, a national initiative to reverse the decline in new student pilots.

Meyer earned about every award one could earn in the industry—the Aviation Week Laureate Award in 2025, the Robert J. Collier Trophy, George S. Dively Award, Wright Brothers Memorial Award, Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame, National Aviation Hall of Fame, the R.A. “Bob” Hoover Award and others.