I think I know how you feel.
When I fly a small single I still expect the engine to quit. After 20 years of flying it hasnt happened....yet....I still expect it to, on pretty much every flight. And I find anticipating things going wrong always provides a little tension.
Flying a twin, I still expect an engine to quit, but I'm now a little more content with my options if one does.
For me, all the commercial training didnt shift that underlying anticipation of something going wrong. Its still there, it makes me very thorough in my checks and preparation.
I've had the 'I dont enjoy this anymore' feeling a few times in the past, as a PPL sometimes it lasted years, during which time I didnt fly at all. But the bug always came back.
I find that the 'love' can go out of flying after a crisis of confidence. Possibly from the hairy situations you mention (not been in any myself), or from some hairy arsed instructor/examiner in the plane or the Sim who deliberately knocks that confidence out of you (of which I've had a few).
So perhaps these hairy situations are a root cause. And in a similar fashion to this thread you'll probably find many people have been in similar situations.
Last edited by clunk1001; 26th Oct 2012 at 16:45.