I love my country but truly despise what our government has declined to. The only nationalism allowed is global bending of the knee for the red, white, and blue.
I love flying, aviation of all types from models to full size aircraft. This includes the camaraderie forged from not only a common interest in flight, but the mutual respect that comes from accomplishment culminating in maybe becoming a pilot, aeronautical engineer, A&P, designing and building airplanes, then flying our creation, or bringing back to life a 100 year old airplane, and once a year , getting together at OshKosh showing respect for all that effort, dreams brought into reality, and being truly happy for others journey into the sky.
But to think we can disrespect our neighbors nationality thru cavalier challenges to their sovereignty, their economy by bombastically, with snarky sarcasm, announce another country is nothing but our future 51st state, to me, cannot be ignored. Nor swept under the rug because we have a common love for airplanes and risk spoiling a US national aviation treasure as world renown Oshkosh, because we expect the people our leadership have disrespected including their love for their country, national identity, and personal patriotism to show up at our uber patriotic, highly nationalistic event , with their Canadien’s flavor of aviation spending their hard earned Canadien money on our turf, and for a few days ignore our leaderships continued disrespect is extremely ignorant at best.
There is an old adage that says how people may potentially come out of complacency, or simple ignorance depends on “whose ox is getting gored”. If Canadiens including the Snowbirds boycott Oshkosh, people and aviation manufacturers of Mexico, Central and South America, South Africa, France, Australia, and Germany decide to sit out Oshkosh 2025 because of global economic testing from imposed tariffs combined with future escalating threats, our collective “ox gets gored” and we will be whining like babies. When Boeing and Ford fold their big tents along with their EAA sponsorship because they are no longer profitable is a real possibility. Can you imagine a 2.5 million dollar SR22T displayed if China chooses to convert our 145% tariff into a tangible reality? Followed with plant closures in Duluth and Grand Forks? How about your cylinders for your IO-550 when they shoot up to $7-10k per jug… if you can get them. And what about a decline in EAA membership and maybe 100,000 fewer folks coming thru the turnstiles. I get a feeling the aviation love and camaraderie espoused by many will evaporate quickly… because our ox is getting gored while our government continues to gore theirs.
It should be a very interesting Airventure this year. I am sure the EAA board of Directors are very nervous right now. We still have 90 or so days to attack and disrespect more countries prior to Airventure. Look what has been accomplished in 13 weeks so far.