Bud leon, sorry mate perhaps i should sugar coat it for you and tell you nothing ever goes wrong. We also never operate with defects allowed by the ddg/mel. If you read my post you will notice I agree that it is a serious thing, don't deny that. On a previous post I said i would also like an engineer to do a walkaround on top of mine. I suppose we could carry an engineer every time we go to an outport without engineering too. Many things we do ever so slightly reduce safety in the name of economics. Reduced thrust takeoffs as an example. Can you tell me whether a pilot, or a pilot and an engineer did a walkaround. I doubt it. An engineer can't always be expected to pick something up.... especially if it fails away from the gate. The next time you go somewhere in an aeroplane there is a possibility that there is a flaw in the aircraft that may have been there since manufacture date. United DC-10 (sioux city) springs to mind. Yes we are trained to handle many problems, that is a GOOD thing.