Well it looks as though Jim set the fuse out and perhaps I lit it.

Jim, I don't mean to engage in a pissing contest with you, and thank you for
sharing you opinion. It was most useful in that it allowed others to air
their views. Clearly the depth of your experience appears to exceed mine and
perhaps for YOU and those with similar levels of experience your opinion is
valid.

I can recall my own humble experience of some 20 or so years ago after I
build a flying lawn chair (Pterodactyl ultralight) in my living room and
subsequently test flew it myself. It was the thrill of a lifetime but also
one where it just as easily could have been my last one.

I've known excellent mechanics who can't fly and one that is afraid to do
so. I've also known great pilots who wouldn't know a rivet from a rivnut. A
great builder is not necessarily a great pilot AND vice versa. Given that,
it's probably fair to say that the average builder is not particularly
accomplished at either skill and only very rarely at both.

A superior pilot is one who uses his superior judgement to avoid those
situations that might require his superior skill. With that in mind we all
have an opportunity to be superior pilots, every time we fly.

Ted Stanley