"I have anyone who wants to fly with me read this, so they know what they're getting into." I handed her my laptop.

Pilots know a lot about airplanes and engines and avionics and hydraulic systems and oil and propellers and all kinds of mechanical things. They read operations manuals and memorize specifications and figure out fuel burn rates and estimate times enroute and fill out paperwork. They wear uniforms and follow regimens and schedules and tell wild stories. They fear and respect authority. They can regurgitate the weather report without knowing what the atmosphere is really doing. They have many devices that feed them information. They turn knobs, push buttons, flip levers and read screens and dials. They don't quite remember where they were three days ago. I'm not very good at all that but I've followed the rules enough to not get busted.

But, I can fly. From my long sailing history, I know fluids and how they work and I don't mean by using equations. If something breaks and the thing can still glide, I'll land safely. There won't be schedules so we will avoid bad weather. I keep fuel in the tanks unlike so many "pilots" who seem to run out just short of a runway. I keep my airspeed up. I can tell with my eyes closed how fast we're going, so the plane won't spin out of the sky. I have great vision. Our takeoffs and landings will be smooth. I know the rules, I know how to navigate and I'm good on the radios. I cannot control, however, being ground up from behind by some dial watching "pilot." I consider this an acceptable risk.