Posted for Gary Casey <glcasey@adelphia.net>:

 The thoughts posted by Rick are useful and valid.  One flyer  suggested you
never accept more than 2 of the following risks:   Single engine(oops, there
goes one already), IFR, night and  mountains.  I expand on that a little bit:
 Single engine - can't fix that, but a single engine that is already  running
and has lots of fuel is pretty reliable, so I'll possibly  count it as 1.5
engines during the middle of a flight.
 Night - I used to fly at any time at night, but I'm getting more
 conservative.  I'll finish a flight at night given it is over  controlled
terrain (lots of airports, flat land, etc), but probably  wouldn't start one.
 IFR - I don't consider it "IFR" if the weather is VFR on the ground  as I
don't consider just flying through a cloud as a risk.
 Mountains (or water)  - A single ridge with lower terrain on both  sides is
probably not "mountains" unless the tops poke into my cloud.
 
 I'll admit I've accepted three of these risks, but it probably wasn't
 prudent.  I think the list of risks above is logical and I tend to  keep it
in mind.
 
 Gary Casey