The “spamcan” term I think comes from the hardware traditionally operated by UK flying schools, often in the poorest just-airworthy condition. Most PPLs have ample experience of this, from their early days at least. It’s a pity that it is a very accurate term in so many cases, but doesn’t apply to many other owners of the same types of airframes.
‘Spam can’ was as @Maoraigh correctly ascertains, a term coined by US traditionalists (in roughly the late 1940s or early 50s) who didn’t like the aluminium monocoque aircraft then selling to a new and different customer base as a result of ‘anybody can fly one’ color glossy advertising. They preferred tube and rag or wood light planes, generally meaning tail draggers, but their dislike was more or less a repeat of the reaction to flat engined ‘Cub Type’ aircraft by people who flew big Waco biplanes and the like in the mid-30s. Also a precursor to the “Tupperware” label for composite aircraft in the 1980s. All of the above labels were generally just for fun.
Judging by this thread, it doesn’t look like there is much elitism in GA (although I must admit I’m still not entirely sure what is meant by the term in this contest). I would think certain high end GA planes attract certain kind of people. Maybe sort of the same people that are attracted by Porsche and M variants BMWs (and today also Tesla). Super cars, but you don’t want to drive them, because you don’t want to be associated with the (stereotypical) persons normally driving them. If that is what is meant, then I would say GA has an image problem, rather than an elitism problem.
EuroFlyer wrote:
Sometimes, in some pockets of society, there is a feeling called envy. Sometimes, it even grows to be an ‘envy culture’.
Very prominent in most of Europe, yes. It’s the basis of socialism.
EuroFlyer wrote:
They’re envious, because someone (neighbor, coworker, family member, or even a stranger on the street) seems to be wealthier, more educated, healthier, happier, or whatever. It’s a dead end street. There’s no happiness at the end, only frustration.
Very true indeed. And instead of being inspired to try to getting there themselfs, they will fight those people to the end. That exactly describes how most of European society works indeed.
EuroFlyer wrote:
One way to get over (perceived) “elites” would be force everyone to exactly own and do the same as the next guy. Oh, wait, didn’t work, it was called communism. Which tends to build its elites very quickly, too.
Why in the past? The idea is alive and thriving…. only they don’t call it communism anymore and it’s not done via revolutions but via taxes and regulations.
LeSving wrote:
I would think certain high end GA planes attract certain kind of people. Maybe sort of the same people that are attracted by Porsche and M variants BMWs (and today also Tesla). Super cars, but you don’t want to drive them, because you don’t want to be associated with the (stereotypical) persons normally driving them.
You got something there LeSving…. On the other hand, if no new planes get sold there are no second hand ones for those with lesser income. But then again, prices of new GA planes are one of the biggest problems we have indeed, totally unjustified and simply crazy.
There is certainly envy in many places.
Once I was cleaning the plane outside the hangar, and some people were walking past on a guided tour. One guy asked how much the plane cost. I could smell a trap, so just said “quite a lot”. He said “as much as a house?”. I said “yes, possibly”. He started laughing hysterically and made some derogatory comment about how the other half lives. I am not bothered since when I was at university (1975-78) it was de rigueur to be a communist and slag off anybody with more than 2p, only for me to see the same people change jobs every year upon leaving univ, in pursuit of the smallest pay rise. But I don’t tell people what I spend on my hobby and neither do most aircraft owners I know.
New plane prices appear silly (an SR22 can be $1M) but Cirrus did really well despite the prices being always silly. Their sales are now way down due to various other factors… there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of people who pay the $1M and some even change every year or two, like many people do with cars. If you have a business employing 100 people, say a 10-20M turnover, the chances are you could buy a TBM every year or two… and there are many such people. And as stated above we do need them to keep the used market supplied 
Actually I wish there were more of them because it would lift up the condition of the GA infrastructure a great deal and everyone downstream would benefit from that. There is a severe limit on how much can be “extracted” from those lower down and airfields which don’t have any wealthy residents tend to sink into the “lowest common denominator” condition (unless state / chamber of commerce funded but that won’t last for ever). Whereas owners of mid range and above bizjets don’t help GA because they are almost never pilots and they pay any airport change; a few k is nothing.
LeSving wrote:
Judging by this thread, it doesn’t look like there is much elitism in GA (although I must admit I’m still not entirely sure what is meant by the term in this contest).
I also don’t think there is much elitism in GA. But what I have noticed is that some people do not seem to understand that what is a trivial or at least acceptable expense for them may not be for other pilots or owners. Or worse, that people have no business flying unless they are happy spending €XXXX at a moment’s notice.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
EuroFlyer wrote:
Sometimes, in some pockets of society, there is a feeling called envy. Sometimes, it even grows to be an ‘envy culture’.
Very prominent in most of Europe, yes. It’s the basis of socialism.
Could we refrain from political statements, please?
that people have no business flying unless they are happy spending €XXXX at a moment’s notice
I don’t think anybody has said that “people have no business flying” (which would be obviously nonsense, because you could just rent) but it would be technically correct that ownership is likely to be fraight with problems unless certain substantial funds are readily available in case something breaks. In the SEP sphere that figure is probably 10k-20k depending on the type. And not telling people that is not doing them any favours. Go to your local and count the abandoned planes… do you think those people are happy to see their plane rotting?
Whereas owners of mid range and above bizjets don’t help GA because they are almost never pilots and they pay any airport change; a few k is nothing.
You would be surprised of the amount of greed some of these people have in them. I have heard so many stories of pilots about owners of 50M$ bizjets forcing them to fly into places like Egelsbach in order to avoid landing and handling charges in Frankfurt or – even worse – not paying the full expenses of the crew because they stayed in a hotel which is “too expensive”. This kind of airplane owner usually made his fortune by getting his products manufactured with the cheapest labor he can find on the planet (therefore his need for the Global 6000 jet so that he can find places where children work even cheaper) so “cheap” is all they ever think about. Oversimplifying maybe, but I have seen enough of these guys.
My father, who knows more about aircraft structural design than anybody you’re likely to meet, and who also built and flew his own composite structured aircraft from raw materials, once at approximately age 75 approached a sailplane owner and his ~150K Euro plane for a chat. As he approached the owner announced himself by saying “if you come near my plane I will kill you” (really!). I’ve seen other similar situations so don’t tell me there isn’t envy and envy-bred paranoia in European aviation. Many of those involved may resist and dislike it (and good for them!) but others enjoy feeling part of an elite or are alternately (as in the case of this sailplane owner) victims of the paranoia that envy creates.
@Mooney_Driver, what you describe in Europe is one of the factors that has driven emigration for a long time. I think another big one is overpopulation, and the two are not unrelated. The whole envy thing breaks down when there are enough per capita resources and even more important an opportunity to earn your share or slightly more. Land and air space are in limited supply in Europe as well as aeronautical infrastructure, and that has the converse effect.
It is entirely reasonable to me that a person who works his whole life, invests his spare cash appropriately, and then in late middle age consolidates his assets, should reasonably be able to buy a new Cirrus or the like if that’s what he wants, and fly it in free airspace and nationally funded infrastructure. I think those sorts of people (plus businesses renting the planes) are the majority of the new plane market. About the same number of people build and fly their own, and given opportunity that’s also an entirely reasonable activity for a normal person. Others like me who aren’t yet ready to cash in their chips or invest their time fly used stuff and find ways to pay for it. All good stuff, regardless of how its done.
