Phil Knight makes another short hop to Redmond amid central Oregon pattern

Phil Knight flew from Hillsboro Airport to Redmond’s Roberts Field on Thursday afternoon, a 33-minute hop aboard his Gulfstream G500. The flight landed just after 2:45 p.m. local time, the latest in a series of short trips the Nike co-chairman has made to central Oregon over the past three weeks.

Celebplanes tracking data shows Knight has flown between Hillsboro and Redmond at least nine times since late May. While the specific purpose of Thursday’s visit isn’t publicly documented, the pattern suggests Knight maintains an active presence in Bend, a region known for its golf courses and outdoor recreation. Knight, who lives near Hillsboro, often uses his private hangar at HIO for quick getaways.

The trip comes the same week Nike concluded its “Founder’s Week” celebration at the newly renamed Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, an event that featured Serena Williams and underscored the company’s heritage, per hereisoregon.com. Knight’s recurring flights to Redmond align with his well-known ties to central Oregon; this spring he donated $1 million to gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley, as reported by OPB. For now, the Bend area offers a quieter retreat from the corporate spotlight.