​Background Information: Raymond Meyer

Raymond Meyer learned to fly on the GI Bill after serving in the South Pacific for the US Navy during World War II. He became a student pilot in November 1949 at the Beaverton Airport in Beaverton, Oregon. This is where the Beaverton Chapter of the Oregon Pilots Association was first organized. He became a private pilot on May 25th, 1950. After the war, Raymond took over the family auto repair business which developed into a Chrysler dealership. Raymond left the business in 1968 and became an automotive instructor at Portland Community College.  He eventually became the head of the department and retired in 1985.

 

Although automobiles had been a large part of his life, Raymond's true passion was flying. He and his wife Mary, also a pilot, built a home and turned the property into the Meyer Riverside Airpark. You can still find that airstrip on the sectional chart, 10 nm SE of the Hillsboro Airport.  Raymond flew countless trips out of his private airstrip accumulating over 5,000 hours of flight time. He owned 45 different airplanes during his life and introduced hundreds of people to flying, some becoming private pilots and others advancing into professional flying careers.

 

On May 10, 1997, Raymond and a young passenger, Alex Musatov, were tragically killed on approach to the airpark strip after experiencing engine problems. During his nearly 47 years as a private pilot, Raymond loved flying and enjoyed the excitement of others as they experienced flight. It is in this light that the Raymond Meyer Flight Fund Scholarship has been established, enabling others to experience the joy of flight.

 

Mission Statement

The Raymond Meyer Flight Scholarship is perpetual and has been created for two primary reasons. First, to remember Raymond Meyer as an Oregon Aviator with a passion for flying and for sharing that passion with others. Second, to continue to promote aviation, just as Raymond did during his lifetime, by enabling the opportunity of learning to fly by providing financial assistance.

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