Are pilots really good or just lucky???

Judah wrote
If she was already on approach, wouldn't the plane already be dirty and
slowed down a bit?

Yesm but my experience is that planes of that class get harder to
handle in the approach configuration, not easier. They become less
stable and require more attention.

I seem to recall a thread a while back that discussed getting down safely
if you lose everything, and it involved trimming all the way up and
reducing the throttle and flying with the rudder only... Admittedly, I
never tried it, but it is an excercise worth trying because I'd be
curious to see if it really works...

When I owned a 100 kt fixed-gear, fixed-pitch airplane (TriPacer), I
could do it. If I had to, I could keep the wings level with just the
compass. Move up to a 160 kt retract, and it simply doesn't work that
well.

Michael