Thats a good question about why stand so close.

I like to 3D myself and enjoying a lot. I fly low to deck for one thing I can control it better. I can tell what it is doing than if it is way up higher. To me when flying that slow and your up high I tend to gain altitude when I am not wanting to. If I fly it low I can put it where I want it with no problem.

Now as for walking out onto the runway and standing behind plane. I haven't done that since I first started out flying and had to do it to take off to keep from taking off sideways. Well now that I think about it I did try it once and all because I seen it on the videos here and where chip was walking around his plane. I was flying around close to myself like in the video and to be honest I felt like an idiot. I never done it again. For one you hardly have any peripheral vision because you are so zoned into the plane. Another reason which may sound stupid is what If I stumble on something while walking when doing this it couldn't be good. I also don't trust wind for anything! Wind can come out and do crazy things when you don't expect it. Matter fact it caused me to just about cut a finger off.

I got so used to standing behind runway barrier and to me I feel safer behind it. I have seen that barrier save a few cuts a couple of times. Walking out in front of it does not feel right anymore even if I am flying alone. I fly this way behind barrier and everyone in our club does also. I guess we are the few lucky ones that still stick to the rules.