Lew,

I'm surprised your 777 driver friend didn't go on to say all those little planes should be banned from the sky.

I really hate to get serious on this forum, especially about planes, but the reality is that if a plane is certified and well maintained it is safe to fly, but the weak link is as Tom points out the pilots that do not work to maintain their skills.

I have pulled JDUB's chain a little about his plane, but it is one of the best general aviation aircraft flying. It is well built and a joy to fly. Ask your 777 friend if he thinks the Cirrus is a good plane. Right now the pilots of that particular make of plane are doing themselves in at a fairly brisk pace.

Flying is serious business and when you get someone with enough money to buy a plane that has more capability than the pilot possesses you have a potent and often deadly combination. As an example, my plane is pressurized, has all kinds of weather detection equipment, navigational capability galore, and is certified for flight in known icing. It has the capability to bring a pilot with more balls than skills right to the scene of the accident.

It ain't the plane its the pilot.