Love flying, not keen on dying :))

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

The biggest factor in safety is you, and your attitude. I know lots of motorcyclist who have been riding all their lives and never had a serious accident (they generally had some near misses when they were young and less aware). They have all taken post-qualification training such as Bikesafe or IAM because motorcycling is potentially more dangerous than car driving as one is exposed more to the bad driving of others. But 'awareness' training can greatly lessen that risk though of course it can never totally remove it.

The same with flying. You are less at risk from the mistakes of others when in an aeroplane than when on a bike, but there are more insidious things that can bite you. Perhaps the biggest is your attitude to weather... 'get home itis' is a big killer in recreational flying.

Engine failure is probably the worst mechanical 'gotcha' that can happen. It's rare but it does happen. Real nasties like structural failure and fire in the air are thankfully almost unheard of, though the former can result from loss of control of the aeroplane in a weather-related scenario. I have had engine failure on take off, and I know quite a few others who have. A great deal of PPL training is about dealing with it. However I knew a guy who suffered it on take off and died. But he let it stall and spin as the speed bled off as he held the climb attitude. His mayday call was, apparently, exemplary though. He just forgot to fly the aeroplane. Ask yourself if you might do that as well. Personality type is an important safety factor in the air.

So get the best training you can and once you are qualified, stay as current as you can. And be careful extending the edges of your flying envelope.

Learning to 'drive the aeroplane' is the easy bit (though it won't feel like it at the time!). Developing high airmanship skills takes effort and application and self-awareness. But it's the latter that makes the difference where safety is concerned.