well technically.

We didn't find out about these things because of increased inspections.

We found out because it was in the news when there was videos of a door blown off, then a few days later an engine fire.

THEN, they started more inspections.

So, it seems more like a trend, where there were more and more problems until they piled up far enough to breach the surface.

So how many haven't been found, the ice-burg below the surface.

My only point was that hearing about the issues found by more inspections shouldn't change your mind about the safety because performing more inspections and reporting on the findings doesn't reduce the safety of what it already was (what you were presumably already OK with before simply hearing about the new inspections and issues found).

Your logic is absurd. We shouldn't worry because we weren't worrying before we knew the problem existed? Now we are educated about the problem what are we supposed to do? Put our heads in the sand and pretend the problem doesn't exist??

We weren't OK before, we were ignorant.

Nobody is saying to put your head in the sand.

But I don't see how the planes are any less safe than they were months ago.

If anything they are safer now that the issues are being fixed.

So if they aren't any less safe now, and I was willing to fly in one then, then logically I should be willing to fly in one now. That's how it seems to me at least.

Think we are arguing about a reaction to imperfect information, verus actual safety.

Yes, today, with increased inspections, planes are 'safer' than they were. If we take a baseline a few months ago, they are 'safer' now.

But

In the past, we had imperfect information about how worried we should have been. So a few months ago 'before knowing about defects' we weren't worried enough.

We didn't know how worried we should have been. Now that we know about defects, we are more worried. Even thought over-all safety is probably better.

EDIT: And, now that we see how much 'cost pressure' has lead to safety cuts, I think we can be more worried now, because we can see how much cost trumps safety. Those cost pressures will remain once the current crisis is past.

I guess I don't think we (travelers) weren't worried enough.

Looking at the overall historical safety and incident records it seems like it was still very safe. Less safe than we thought, sure, but still quite safe, safe enough to not be actively worried as simple travelers, at least in my opinion.

So for me if there were so few incidents with the unknown problems, then I don't see why I should be worried now that they know about and are checking and fixing the problem and even other problems.