ORIGINAL: Skratchbilt
There is never a time when one truly MASTERS an aircraft, of any type. Sooner or later, ALL mechanical items will fail, airplanes included, leaving you gasping at the mess made on the field.
I disagree.
You're equating maintenance and up keep, with ability. The two are unrelated.
You can indeed "MASTER" anything. Mastery is nothing more than attaining a high level of proficiency.
This has nothing to do with mechanical failure or even auguring into the ground.
"Master" pilots can fail, and still be "master" pilots, race drivers, etc... as long as they survive.