In the movie Back to the Future, the antagonist named Biff saw an opportunity to make himself wildly rich. He took a sports almanac back to the year 1955 and gave it to his younger self, instructing him to refer to the book to make winning bets. The younger Biff did exactly that, and in doing so, became one of the wealthiest and most corrupt men in the country, turning the otherwise peaceful Hill Valley into a chaotic dystopia.
It’s difficult to argue with the success of the elder Biff’s strategy, but were I presented with a similar opportunity, I’d consider printing out screen captures of 2022’s used aircraft classifieds and delivering them to my 2019 self. With some creative money management, my pre-COVID self would be able to purchase Cessna 172s, Piper Super Cubs, and Beech yBonanzas for a fraction of their current values and then resell them now to make a tidy profit. It wouldn’t yield the return of Biff’s gambling, but it would also be less likely to result in a global dystopia, chaotic or otherwise.
