Here is my opinion, for what it it worth. The safety of flying is very
dependent upon the quality of the pilot. Compared to driving a car for
example, if some nutcase headed in the opposite direction decides to
reach for his beer, your skills as a driver are not worth much.

In an airplane you are many times more likely to be a victim of your
own stupidity/carelessness/ignorance you name it. On the other hand
a cautious pilot is generally not subjected to the degree of idiocy
one experiences on the road on a daily basis. Therefore I feel flying
is safer for careful and conciencous pilots than driving.

I would say that having an IFR rating and several hundred hours of
flying experience (both in VFR and IFR) has a tendency to make someone
a better pilot than one without. But there is no substitute for experience
and you have to get there from somewhere. The best pilots tend to be
a bit meticulous and even a bit anal about their airplanes and flight
preparations. Overconfidence is not a virtue in aviation.

You really need to apply the same criteria to judging the quality of
a pilot that you would for most things in life.

June wrote:
I need some information from people 'in the field'. My husband has
his private license and is just starting to work on his IFR for
recreational flying. He wants to buy into a plane partnership, saying
he will be saving money rather than renting.

We have 2 little girls. I worry for his safety as it seems there is
another small plane crash every other time you turn on the news. I
think he should focus on this hobby when the kids are older, not when
he has such a young family.

Your opinions would be appreciated.