Dad's pucker factor while using a flashlight to determine the health of his 707 while carrying a full load of PAX would have still allowed him to laugh it off?
(Not after the fact: Everyone jokes about the near miss or reserve 'chute....but while it's happening and there is no promise of an afterwards to make jokes in...I'd rather my pilot was a bit worried...!/?)
(Connies maybe, but you're not that old)
Don't discount the humor factor for being able to help cope with and/or diffuse a tense situation. Go back and review any airborne situation and you'll find the pilots making jokes --during the situation, not afterward. Read any transcript of a CVR and you'll find it.
(Connies maybe, but you're not that old)
Don't be too sure, grasshopper. He started on Connies in 1962. He retired flying 757/767. The only equipment in their inventory he didn't fly was 747s and the 727s (otherwise known as Miss Piggy because of their slow speeds).