A native of Davenport, Iowa, Meyer graduated from Yale University with a BA in 1953 and received his Doctor of Law degree from Harvard Law School in 1961. He served with the US Air Force as a jet fighter pilot and also with the US Marine Corps Reserve. He began his career as a trial lawyer specializing in aviation for the law firm of Arter & Hadden in Cleveland.
Meyer joined Cessna as Executive Vice President in 1974 and was named Chairman and CEO in 1975. Meyer is a commercial, instrument rated pilot with more than 13,000 hours of flight time including type ratings in all models of Cessna Citation business jets.
He worked tirelessly to gain passage of The General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, writing letters, visiting members of the Congress and the United States Senate, and contacting thousands of their constituents. He was elected to an unprecedented third term as Chairman of GAMA (General Aviation Manufacturers Association) to lead the charge and, as the only representative of the business aviation community to serve on President Clinton’s Airline Commission.
His very public and emphatic commitment to re-enter the light aircraft market provided a tangible and important foundation for the industry’s assertion that a Statue of Repose would result in increased employment. Cessna is moving forward aggressively, with plans for production of piston singles beginning late this year.