Driving is dangerous, and if it takes "stacking the odds considerably in your favor" to make $THING only as dangerous as driving, I think it's safe bet that $THING is a pretty dangerous activity.

I'm actively working toward my PPL now but let's not pretend it's a safe venture by any means. You're strapping yourself onto a single lawn-mower engine that was build in the 60's that someone bought for $20,000 five years ago.