That's a great point. As a programmer it's also taken me quite awhile to recognize that I'm not a perfect snowflake and am quite capable of writing code that c

That's a great point. As a programmer it's also taken me quite awhile to recognize that I'm not a perfect snowflake and am quite capable of writing code that contains horrendous bugs. I've always recognized that while flying though, because I've always felt like a neophyte at it, and not a "real" pilot. Statistically speaking, it's pretty safe to allow your attention to wander a bit while on a long uneventful flight. That's why there are auto-pilots. The real danger comes in whenever you're close to the ground or in bad weather. Surprisingly the #1 thing you can do to avoid an accident is just make sure you have enough fuel. Which is a very low bar to clear.