I too would rather be lucky than great. Doesn't matter how great you are, it won't win you the lottery....
I had a catastrophic engine failure whilst solo during PPL training but 'luckily' was just four miles from the airfield I'd just departed and made it back.
Since then I've done an over-water trip to Guernsey via the long route (around 70nm or so from Solent, but I can't remember the exact number). We had life jackets plus raft, but it was in mid-summer (although I'm sure the water would still have been very cold, it would have been considerably less so than this time of year). I'd happily do it again - in summer and in good weather - but I guess it's all about an individual's decision on whether the risk is so small as to be acceptable for the trip being considered.
Each time we climb behind the wheel of a car, or get in as a passenger for that matter, I think we are taking a greater risk than doing an over-water flight in good weather conditions where all possible precautions have been taken. But we rarely think about the frailty of our tin-can on four wheels whilst zooming along the road, and remember that in a car you have other drivers to contend with. I would imagine that statistically you're far more likely to be injured or killed on the roads than in a light aircraft despite the vast difference in number of hours behind the wheel/yoke (I don't know that for a fact and stand to be corrected) but we see driving as an acceptable risk under the circumstances - i.e. when we need to get somewhere.
Very well done on the successful diversion, and I wish you 'lucky' as well as safe flying.
WCollins - next time I cross the Humber do you think I'd be safer taking an extra engine? (perhaps one of those paramotors as well just to be sure..)
