Guest Blog: Trump Presidency To Benefit Business Aviation

Some in the private aircraft industry are running around with their hair on fire lamenting how Trump’s 25 percent tariff proposal will spell the end of the U.S. aerospace industry. We’ll let them keep doing that since they’re fun to watch, but there’s a glass-half-full story to share with everyone else.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/insider/guest-blog-trump-presidency-to-benefit-business-aviation

What a blessing it must be to have such a foolproof crystal ball, Brian. Predicting the actions of any politician, especially one possessing such a tenuous relationship to the truth as our current C-i-C, is a speculative exercise in wish-fulfillment, nothing more.

Given the current rules of the AvWeb discussion board, I am astonished and dismayed that our moderator allowed this highly partisan drivel to be posted. And as a “Guest Blog” no less. Good luck reining in the vitriol now

From Russ.
This is exactly where opinion on issues of the day are presented. Should we just ignore them? Opinions always annoy some people and we won’t shy away from presenting them.

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I believe Brian is right on the money, no pun intended. There is no crystal ball, just an educated opinion based upon history, general observation, common sense and practicality. Nothing crazy here. That being said, I also understand the comment. I’ve seen it a lot over the last four years. It hasn’t changed and I don’t believe it ever will. It is what it is.

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I agree. This blog is akin to last week’s copy and paste report about the use of military aircraft to deport people. It seems like AVweb is just trying to fill holes in it’s daily publishing with whatever it can get it’s hands on that has the word ‘airplane’ in it. And Brian’s blog was obviously written in the past - sometime between Nov 5th and Jan 20th. Not only void of any useful facts to chew on but also lacks currency.

Well. My only reaction is I am SMH…

SMH on steroids. Someone should’ve hit the gong halfway through and spared us the speculation masquerading as insight.

From Russ
So, enlighten us, Raf. It’s all speculation at this point but Brian talks to bizav folks every day so it’s at least informed speculation, likely colored with personal bias but that is why we have an opinion space–to present opinions.

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Yes, don’t bother me with facts, my mind is made up…

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I enjoyed the article but, yes, it’s speculation. Trump is going to whatever benefits Trump - that’s all. And I had to laugh at the prospect of a more qualified workforce due to the elimination of DEI. That’s certainly not happening at the Cabinet level where the only qualification is loyalty to the President. If one of those them is not up to the job it won’t matter what happens to business aviation. We’ll have much bigger problems.

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The mere mention of his name is going to polarize readers. You should have disabled comments on the article. Neither side will engage in productive debate about the article. It will turn into shouting match merely because one party’s candidate won, and the other’s lost.

From Russ:
I expect nothing less and think it’s valuable in its own way. The politics of aviation is directly tied to mainstream politics and we simply cannot ignore it.

Another nail in the AvWeb objectivity coffin. Aside from the rank speculation, why does the author of this “guest” blog get free bold-font advertising for his company at the bottom? And, no, it went well beyond author identification - it was marketing, pure and simple.

The apparent desire for content seems to have led to a near complete abandonment of editorial standards at AvWeb.

From Russ:
Of course it wasn’t objective. It’s opinion being presented in the appropriate forum and I was hoping people would argue the points it makes rather than its mere existence. And I disagree with the author identification. Not everyone knows who Brian is but that few words tells them accurately the position from which he wrote the blog.

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This should have a large SPONSORED tag on it. It is nothing more than a thinly veiled ad for aviaition consulting services. Crystal Ball, indeed. More like brass.

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So disappointed in AvWeb. They may call it a “guest blog,” but the header stamps it as an endorsed opinion. Wholly inappropriate for this publication.

From Russ
Not inappropriate at all. The blog space is the place for opinions, even those you disagree with.

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I hope Brian is OK with waiting for the part for his Phenom/Challenger/Falcon to come in because his suppliers can’t afford to inventory stuff with artificially inflated prices.

It is perfectly appropriate in the section reserved for opinion writing, which is where you found it.
Russ

I have little doubt that Trump administration policies will benefit corporations and billionaires. What this blog illustrates to me is how successful AOPA, first, and then eventually EAA, AvWeb and others have been in convincing far more numerous and less affluent aircraft owners that corporate and billionaire jets are General Aviation and that their interests are the same.

From Russ.
They are general aviation by definition and I don’t think anyone has any trouble making the distinctions within that definition.

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From Russ
“So, enlighten us, Raf. It’s all speculation at this point but Brian talks to bizav folks every day so it’s at least informed speculation, likely colored with personal bias but that is why we have an opinion space–to present opinions.”

Here’s the thing, Russ: After spending decades in aviation, some of us old-timers can spot what helps the industry and what just adds to the mess. Brian might have a couple of decent ideas tucked in there, but all the politicking and throwing stuff at the wall doesn’t help his argument much. The business aviation industry already got its plate full. Slapping a 25% tariff on imported engines from Rolls-Royce or avionics from Canada, as an example, would drive up costs for companies like Gulfstream and Textron, and those costs would land squarely on the buyers. On top of that, the industry’s wrestling with calls for pricey sustainable fuels, protests against private jets, rising costs, and a shortage of skilled workers. New taxes and regulations might sound like smart fixes, but more often than not, they just make for a rough ride.

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Oh, come on - guys. Its a well known “OPINION EDITORIAL” section of this website and everyone knows, that opinions shared with aviation colleagues have nothing to do with the editorial direction or bias of editors or AVweb as a whole.

As a former AVweb editor and guest editor (now retired by circumstance) I can attest to the simplicity of how this all works. No malice involved. No political agenda followed.

Disabling comments would have caused the smell and claim of censorship, not disabling comments invites all kind of politically charged discourse - which - if not moderated properly - will cause Russ to suffer for it. He suffers anyways, because his Email probably hasn’t stopped dinging.

No cigar smoke filled editorial office with round tables in which the next best story is discussed - no list of guest articles to better rile up the readers. Its really simple stuff.

Read it, determine if it is of any significance to GA or BA and then push the publish button. Its going to do what it does anyways.

I got tons of hatemail for my Common Sense vs. E-Everything article published years ago. My article included my name and what I did for a living, as well. Was that “advertising”?

Its quite normal human behaviour to disagree with the author of a piece and still do so with a minimum of class or style.

To accuse AVweb or Russ of having done anything wrong here is grotesque and shameful.

My tip: Run a publishing platform as responsible editor in chief for a few weeks, earn a living with this stuff in our sometimes highly toxic industry and then return with your findings on what constitutes popular content.

I have worked with Russ for what - 12 - 15 years and while we most certainly don’t fish from the same pond, I never found a reason to accuse him of hype or clickbait or outward editorial bias. Thats Bull.

The writer of this blog wrote a guest editorial. He submitted it for review and had the very same right to have it published here - as all of you would - if you took the time to write and submit one. That would increase a pool of guest editorials to select from.

How about a counter- piece, next week?

Think about it!

Lets get over ourselves - shall we?

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It’s interesting to see what Brian’s opinion has caused to scurry out of the woodwork and all Brian did was turn on the lights.

For me the author didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already believe. I assume his message was intended to be reassuring but he sounded like he had knowledge of the President’s mind. Okay, still no foul yet, it’s an opinion piece.

But what did p**s me off was his tone. Referring to concerned aviation consumers as “running around” with their hair on fire, and how much fun it is to watch them made me use some strong language out loud. Unfortunately Brian you used several phrases right up front and lead me to believe that you’re a sanctimonious ass and I doubt I was alone. I had to concentrate really hard to take in your opinions with an objective mind. You might be an aviation expert, but you need to learn how to write.

Other paternalistic phrases: “for beginners…”, “our excitable friends…” "Gullible pundits… “For those still running around with their hair on fire over tariffs, maybe it’s time to stop, drop and roll”. All very patronizing.

So Brian I hope you’re right that GenAv stays untouched. Thanks for sharing your opinion.

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