RE: Risk Takers?
I've been reading all of this regarding Dave's comments. I think we all ten d to personalize, all of us. It's a bit concerning to me to hear we have so many inconsiderate people in our sport. Many other sport/hobbys wouldn't tolerate some of the behavior at all! Every one of you were aginst things like flying over or in the pits etc. So from that standpoint we are all against "stupid" behavior.
As far as freestyle,3D etc. go for it. The manuevers are done are generally different then we are used to seeing. High stall etc. Snap rolls are ugly "stalled" manuevers, no body complains about them, unless they are done 10 feet in front of another pilot on the flight line. Most of our 3D People do their thing alone in the sky with people watching or just at the other side of the runway. I can do 3-d, just don't find it that enjoyable, but if you enjoy it do it.
It's not what we do, it's more about sharing the space when their are other people trying to have their fun. We don't have the right to impeach someone else's fun, be it a glider, heli, pattern ship, IMAC etc. Courtesy goes a long way.
I actullly took a somewhat different take on the focus of Dave's comments. Keeping in context issues with lawsuits and the insurance as well as endangering "people". I believed he was focused on well know national figures, shown in pictures, hovering and touching the tail of a 40% giant, the pilot flying with one hand. The AMA even published the photograph.
This "stunt" is beyond challenging 3-D flying. There are less than 1/10 of 1% of the pilots capable of this, unfortuarely as you all attested to we have a "bunch" that are ready to ty it. No matter how you slice it, it isn't good fo the hobby.