It's also no longer the case that a single person can build a commercially competitive automobile or airplane. Even ignoring all the relevant regulations, most

It's also no longer the case that a single person can build a commercially competitive automobile or airplane. Even ignoring all the relevant regulations, most people buying those things expect features like anti-lock breaking and navigation systems and wings that are not made out of canvas stretched across cunningly-bent pieces of wood. On the other hand, a modern kit car would make the young Karl Benz green with envy. A modern kit airplane would make the Wright brothers... well, they were pretty emotionally reserved, but I think I can safely say they would be intensely interested in every single aspect. I think the main part he leaves out is that not only do we have better, more complex tools, we have better, more complex tools to build tools. The continuing expansion of expectations is only natural given our continuing expansion of capacity.