Physical Danger
We’re not going to sugar coat it: it’s really, really dangerous up there. Things malfunction, pieces break, engines fail, people make mistakes—it happens. Unfortunately, when it happens on a flying aircraft, it can be a total disaster. Your training is going to help you through a lot of these problems, but you can’t be prepared for everything. Being a pilot is the 3rd most dangerous job in America.
The good news is that it has that rank because it includes bush pilots, crop dusters, naval aviators, and helicopter pilots. Commercial jets are so well maintained that malfunctions are much more rare. It can still happen, but no airline wants to risk killing hundreds of clients on an aircraft, so they are going to make sure that you get where you are going in one piece (…literally). The larger the airline you work for, the safer you will most likely be.