MAX LYONS

Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall Of Fame Award

Max Lyons is an aviator, business owner, philanthropist, adventurer, and devoted family man. A fourth-generation logger from the Pacific Northwest, Max first encountered helicopters in 1974 as a hooker underneath Sikorsky S-64 Skycranes before embarking on a global 18-month, 42,000-mile solo backpacking trip. Upon his return to the US, he became involved in the traditional Japanese martial art of Aikido, which he continued for 25 years instructing and managing Aikido dojos in Portland, Oregon. In 1983, Max started helicopter flight training at Hillsboro Aviation. In 1992, Ed Cooley, former CEO of Precision Castparts and Max’s mentor, bought Hillsboro Aviation and promoted Max to COO.

In 1999, Max and his wife, Carol, purchased the company. Over the following two decades, Max grew Hillsboro Aviation to become an internationally recognized brand and one of the most diverse aviation companies in the US. The company grew to over 285 employees and 90 aircraft, conducting business with customers from over 75 countries and becoming one of the largest privately held pilot training schools in the world training over 12,000 students. In 2014, Max sold the flight training division, allowing Hillsboro Aviation to shift its focus to its contract & charter, sales, and service divisions.

Today, Hillsboro Aviation is a national leader in aerial firefighting, search and rescue, and helicopter utility services. It has state-of-the-art FBO, MRO, parts, and aircraft sales and management divisions with over 1,000 aircraft sold. Serving government, commercial, and private sectors, it operates a fleet of turbine helicopters and airplanes out of its award-winning headquarters at the Portland-Hillsboro Airport.

Max continues to serve as owner and CEO of Hillsboro Aviation. He is dual rated in helicopters and airplanes, including commercial instrument helicopter, single and multi-engine airplane, instrument airplane, and multi-engine seaplane. Max’s flight experience includes instruction, aerial firefighting, search and rescue, aerial survey, and an array of utility operations. He has held positions as Chairman of the Board for Helicopter Association International and Board Member for Portland Community College Foundation. When not at work, you can find him flying his 1953 Beaver, MD 500, or Lockwood Aircam in the San Juan Islands, fixing up his 1938 Indian, mentoring the next generation of aviators, and spending time with his wife of 36 years, daughters, and two dogs.