Sure, I was being hyperbolic. But all of those are emergencies that require technical training and a cool head to evade - and not everyone is capable of flying

Sure, I was being hyperbolic. But all of those are emergencies that require technical training and a cool head to evade - and not everyone is capable of flying a plane. Contrast that to a car where the worst that can happen is you roll to a stop. Hell, during near misses, you can panic brake and lock the steering wheel and that's it, your ride is safely over. No need to hit a runway with just enough glide left within a speed range with some special configuration of control surfaces. Sounds like a cool plane though, clearly I appreciate old mechanical technology!