 He joined the board of Sturmfels Primary Producers' Co-operative Association in 1937 and was influential in arranging its merger with the Queensland Primary Producers' Co-operative Association.In 1934, Russell travelled to the United States, where he learned to fly and acquired his first aeroplane, a Beechcraft Staggerwing.He enlisted as an airman pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force on 10 February 1941, and by May was a flight lieutenant, serving as an instructor at training schools around Australia until his transfer to the RAAF Reserve on 28 February 1944.