Reply To: Why do people get nervous when they fly?

I think the above postings make a really critical point. There is a world of difference in the safety records of “private” planes. Aircraft maintained and operated by commercial private flight operators or corporate fleets have an incredibly high safety record, in many cases equivalent to commercial scheduled airlines. Aircraft owned/operated by individuals or by small businesses that rely on their inhouse pilots and maintenance staff have a considerably less stellar safety record in comparison. The author of the original post really didn’t provide much information to know which end of the spectrum he fits in. If he owns his own small plane that is maintained by a local flight services operator and only flies periodically, I can understand why some might be a bit hesitant.