I have read the Thread ... honestly. Some VERY interesting points have been made. But the bottom line is that no system is going to be perfect. The more complex aircraft become, the more opportunities for systems failures. The more crowded the skies ... etc etc.

At the risk of trivialising the debate, I'll make one comparison. I am perfectly comfortable flying in civil air transport, because the aircraft captain is nearest the impact point if things go wrong. Somehow I never get the same comfortable sensation when driving on a motorway/freeway, despite the innumerable airbags and ABS.

My wife and I often joke about "lifejacket is under your seat" - an uncontrolled descent from FL350 could make that as irrelevant as a smoke hood when landing on the Hudson River.

I have NO safety fears when flying with a proper airline. I also accept, from my 30+ years in the world of aviation, that sometimes things may go wrong. I've had more "near death" experiences on the roads.

It's the same in Malta...

Spider-man gets a day job.

The gas cannister needs replacing. Any volunteers?

Balancing act. (1 of 3)

Dolly

Aha, I see what you mean. We on the 'dark side' have cunning techniques for dealing with this, but if I told you how, I'd have to kill you afterwards :E