Safety of GA flying

wrote:
You guys here know more so I am asking, don't consider this as some
"attack". I agree its mostly in pilot, just when we look at the
personal airplane as a mode of transportation from point A to point B
with all conveniences it offers, what can I do to keep safety to max
apart from the pilot human erorr (my error). Someone mentioned piston /
turbbine engines, etc. That would be nice to look into more.


Peter D answered your question quite eloquently already when he wrote
about the decision making process. It starts and ends with the pilot.
Safety is an attitude - know your limits (and the airplane's limits)
and never exceed either. Example: JFK Jr was killed by his own poor
decision to fly at night over water in reduced visibility conditions.
There is rarely just one cause behind an accident, normally it is a
chain of events.

GA aircraft are very convenient when it comes to getting you places on
your own schedule. They are not always up to the task when weather is
involved (#1 killer), and sometimes you just have to bag the trip if
the risk involved exceeds your personal limit. The more capable the
aircraft the more options you have. I fly a Pilatus turboprop part time
for a charter company. Last Saturday I flew from NJ up to Maine through
some pretty snotty weather. If not for the onboard radar and Nexrad
satellite weather downlink we wouldn't have been able to pick our way
through the worst of it. Radar and satellite capability is not limited
to turbine powered aircraft, but their performance often allows them to
climb quickly on top of the nasty weather rather than have to slog
through it.