I’ve been watching my logbook total hours for the past couple weeks, just waiting for this to happen. I finally passed the three hundred fifty hour mark. That’s critical. There’s a book called “The Killing Zone” which is an examination of private pilot accident statistics. The hours between forty and three hundred fifty are markedly different than those to either side. I am now one fifth as likely to have an accident as I was prior to yesterday’s flight. That’s excellent.

On top of that, now that I have an instrument rating and no hesitation to file an instrument flight plan, I am out of the largest group of accidents, which is continued VFR flight into IMC conditions. (That’s usually a VFR pilot (like Corey Lidel) who flies into hazy or marginal conditions and tries to keep pressing on without an instrument rating or instrument flight plan.)

Just having an instrument rating has cut my chances for having an accident to a third of what it would have been without one. My insurance rates dropped accordingly.

All of this makes m feel better about having the entire family in the plane for weekend jaunts.