Only once did I think about it.
While boarding a Tu154 in Moscow for a trip to the Komi Republic several of our party had reservations about the a/c. The tires looked like they were worn to the threads, small pools of what could have been hydraulic fluid spotted the ground around the main gear and a exterior that looked it hadn't been cleaned in years.
On the way up the stairs we saw the pilot arrive dressed in a knee length leather 'duster' complete with a white silk scarf around his neck and leather shoulder pouch.
The interior was pretty ratty looking with torn seats and badly scratched windows. This particular a/c had a plexiglass nose conversion for use as a bomber if needed.
The weather was hot and humid so when he started the engines and finaly kicked on the cabin air the outflow from the 'spiggots' looked like smoke because of the water vapor.
Getting off this a/c wasn't an option since it was a charter flight and the next flight to our destination of Usinsk would have been ten days away.
That was the most stressfull flight I can remember because the whole flight people were mentioning the looks of the tires, when we finaly stopped after landing there was a collective sigh of relief from most passengers.
Back in the late 70's I was on a C47 in Honduras that developed an oil leak in the starboard engine, all I realy rember about that flight was saying to myself "hurry up and land" over and over...what a slow ride.
After deplaining the pilot got out, looked at the engine and wiped something with a rag and tightened something with a wrench then got back in and took off with a thin trail of blue smoke behind him, at the time I thought he was a brave soul.
Then there were the DeHav Beavers we flew in during the Valdez spill....but I'll need a bunch of beer to start yacking about those times.
I've never thought of questioning the mechanical reliability of commercial jetliners here in the states, I guess it's because I've experienced some of the worst examples from other countrys.
