As far as risk, there is a difference in risking your plane, and risking other people or their property. Part of the rush in this hobby is opening up the envelope of what you can do and what the airplane can do. When you do something risky (risky to the plane) and get away with it, and get comfortable doing it, it's gambling, and learning. It's a rush.

In doing so we have set guidelines within our organization. These guidelines are relatively loose but apply non the less. These guidelines are interpreted a little different by everyone. There are certain acceptable risk and certain non-acceptable risk. The hard part is some of these are hard fast rules (such as the flight line being impenetrable) and some are common sense. If you and your buddy are the only one at the field and you make high speed low passes, no one cares. If you have several people flying at the flight line, move the passes out. Simple judgement; interpreted by everyone differently.

When you operate as a group, within AMA or some other group) you become part of that group and inherently agree to act according to what is acceptable. Should you hover an airplane in the pits, that is against all rules and all common sense. There is no way to ever justify something like that; and to be represented by a manufacturer just rubs salt in the whole thing.

NOW, if you own your own property, with no club, only you (and some friends) you can do what ever you want. If you want to hover a 3d airplane in front of the bedroom window, who cares! If you put the airplane through the front picture glass window, great! your problem, doesn't effect any one else. I have an electric I fly around my house, and around the trees. It's a hoot but I would never do that sort of thing at the field! If you do that at a club field, you are acting as one single part of the club, and the rest in the club will not be happy of its behavior.

Being in a club means you are part of what is acceptable as a whole. This also means (as mentioned here) no one likes a double standard. If you buzz the pilots standing at the flight line, they have the right to hold you accountable; just as if they do it you have the right to hold them accountable. In doing so you become politically involved and how you do that can make the difference between harmony and anarchy. These type of situation handled well make a good club. Our club decided to send out warning letter to 2 people for doing something they felt was wrong; landing in a rough area (on the correct side of the flight line. They over stepped. In doing so we lost 2 members. One member hosted our swap meet. So we lost our swap meet. All in all it wasn't a bad experience because the Gestapo learned a little about politics and our club functions better because of it.

We all fly the airplanes with risk. We fly with risk that is accepted. When something happens we change what is acceptable risk, and change our behavior, our rules and what is acceptable. When we act in a club we all act AS THE CLUB.

And yes, Hossfly, I agree with you 100% on DB article. He was not against 3d, just operating beyond what is acceptable; In the pitts and such. It is obvious he/they have been reading these forums and they are making a statement without naming names; more so to show their position on the whole thing.