Phil Knight returns to Portland from a short hop at The Citadel

Phil Knight flew his Gulfstream G500 (N19HT) from The Citadel Airport (61OR) to Portland Hillsboro Airport (KHIO) on June 5, 2026, a flight of just 22 minutes covering roughly 90 miles east across Oregon's high desert. The Citadel is a private airstrip near the town of Terrebonne, not far from Smith Rock State Park — a known retreat for the Nike co-founder and chairman emeritus.

The same week, no major Nike board meetings, product launches, or public appearances by Knight were reported in the Portland area. Knight's flight history shows this was the tail end of a short evening jaunt: he had flown from Hillsboro to The Citadel earlier the same day, and the return leg simply brought him back to his home base at Hillsboro Airport, per flight data tracked by Celebplanes [celebplanes.com](https://www.celebplanes.com/airport/khio).

This kind of quick out-and-back is routine for Knight. His fleet — the G500 and the older G650 (N1KE) — frequently shuttles between Hillsboro and Roberts Field in Redmond, just 30 miles from The Citadel, as well as to Palm Springs and other West Coast destinations. On this occasion, it appears to have been a short personal trip with no broader news hook — just a quiet evening flight home.