If I have the choice of an unscheduled landing with 30 minutes reserves at West BurrumButtock (where there is no fuel) or continuing ahead to land with 20 minutes reserves at BurrumButtock (where there is fuel).....well then I know what my decision is going to be..
I can understand that sort of thinking, and in my younger years would have been tempted. The problem with it is that it comes from a singular inward looking perspective. If the above attitude of wilful violation for commercial/ personal gain is applied to the entire Industry, including Engineering, ATC, Ground Ops etc, then it is obvious that aircraft will crash and people will die. Individuals normally think highly of their own risk assessment capability and operational prowess but they often have an inaccurate view of just how good they are ( read ‘lucky they have been’). You only have to run a few command upgrade courses to see how wildly inaccurate some peoples view of themselves is. So, if you want to contribute to the Industry’s positive safety trajectory you clearly need to stick with the regs unless it is unsafe to do so. If you don’t want to contribute to the Industry’s safety gains, but just want to back yourself and do your own thing, then you get what we see above.