Originally Posted by SayAlt

Yup. And that principal is "the airplane and Wx is always trying to kill me and my pax at all times."

#2 to that is "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".

As a PIC I'll always take every extra foot of safety margin I can possibly get. And neither ATC, you, nor my CP has to like it, either. I will NEVER have to tell anyone "well, I could have had the extra room, but I let time pressures make the call for me." When everyone in this industry says the #1 concern is safety...and everyone does...I take them at their word. It's how I practice the fine art of flying, even when it's "not very practical". Feel free to take all the calculated risks you want. Me, I'll take the best possible odds every single time.