I think that's a bit over the top Andy, so I won't start an international p&*^^ing contest. I simply refer you to the old truism "There are old pilots and bold pilots...". I am simply acutely aware of the human capacity to stuff things up, having reached the relatively advanced age of 55 and stuffed many things up in many fields, fortunately without getting anyone killed or injured, in the army, working for an airline and an aerospace company and elsewhere.
As far as flying goes, I am gradually exploring the limits of the envelope, do a "recovery from unusual attitudes" course and an "outback flying" course.
It may be that the Auster pops into the air when you lower flap, it might even be in the handbook, but the advice I've seen in two places is that the savings in takeoff roll are negligible in most aircraft, if the flaps malfunction while lowering them you are history, and you don't need the workload at 40-50 knots if you really are on a short rough outback strip. Instead you should be watching for that errant Kangaroo
