Originally Posted by
Gustosomerset
So, if some of the observations above are correct and the pilot chose to climb to an unusually high hover, why might he have done so?
High does not imply unusual. 50ft, 100ft, 1000ft could all be described as high hovers. There could be any number of reasons why the pilot might extend the climb beyond a minimum required to safely commit to the take-off, or none. No implication can be drawn as to it being either unusual or unsafe in this context.