"in praise of old spam cans" by lane wallace

I can't afford subscriptions to all the aviation magazines. And even though I'm retired, I wouldn't have time to read them. I receive "AOPA Pilot", but don't always read it. There is so much new stuff going out and coming out. I'm pretty much lost anyway. A buddy sent me a recent "Flying" magazine. I guess I'm really out of touch. It had a 50th anniversary Beech Baron on the cover. So Beech still makes the Baron. I didn't read that article. What could a new Baron cost? A fifty year old design. Non- turbo. With a G 1000 glass panel. Costs about 1.32 million. Somebody is buying this plane. I can't imagine who. Another article in my free "Flying" mag. was about the "Carbon Cub". This plane complies with light sport. Great fun and great performance. Price $185K. I could talk all day about light sport and it's ironies. But I'm not going to. There was a little article in this "Flying" issue about "spam cans". Now this is something I know about. I, as you know, have a spam can. The author described a spam can as a single engine, fixed gear, aluminum, nose wheel airplane. That's a perfectly fine definition. But the first time I ever heard the term "Spam can" it was in reference to the NASA Mercury space capsules. The X-15 rocket plane was a spacecraft that a pilot flew and took off and landed in. The space "capsule" had an astronaut who had some controls, but mostly was along for the ride like the chimps and dogs who made the first flights. Many fly-ins have an infield for the "antiques and classics" and a far away long walk weed patch for the span cans to park in. The 150's and cherokees are not "real" airplanes. I think the author of the article was pulling our chain a bit when she said she was embarrassed to have to tell someone she owned a Grumman Cheetah. I bet she's not embarrassed at all. I'd be proud to own one of those. Remember the BD-5 and the James Bond BD-5 J? Jim Bede the designer and kit builder? Well the BD-1 was a popular homebuilt that became the Yankee, that morphed into the Grumman Cheetah. Call it a span can if you want. It started out as a radical part-fiberglass homebuilt ahead of it's time. My Piper Cherokee 140 is a true spam can. I'm not embarrassed and make no apologies. I'm 61 years old and I like having a fixed gear and a simple panel. I can park the plane outside too. Another thing. I just don't get the tail wheel thing. It's neat that a pilot knows how to fly tail wheel. That has to do with the pilot and his set of skills and knowledge. I operate off a grass strip and like grass roots flying. The nose wheel is simply easier and nicer to me. I used to park on the infield. But I'm a span can with a big smile and I carry my folding chair to the action. I need the exercise.