Great opening comment Rich - ahhh, the prefect flight, my definition - a flight when everything went perfectly, no mistakes, not even asking a controller to repeat a frequency. I’ve been flying for 42 years, still haven’t had one (came close a few times). But you know what, I keep trying.
I think (maybe I’m delusional) that “trying” makes me a better pilot. It also makes me more rational in my flight planning and decision whether to go or stay on the ground.
Sure there are things I can’t control, three engine failures, electrical fire in the cockpit, broken throttle cable (stuck at cruise power) gear failure etc., but I’ve learned from every icing encounter, and every accident report. The learning all goes to trying for that perfect flight.