The pilot profession would certainly have been better off if Niki Lauda had remained out of aviation for the rest of his life (or just kept to flying around in his personal Learjet).
With his enormous popularity in otherwise hero-starved Austria he has managed to keep the pilot's point of view out of most media in Austria while he (rather less successfully) chaired Lauda Air 1 & 2.
It is amazing how someone who managed to pay investors in his second airline a mere 50ct to the Euro is still able to find new money for a new airline.
And of course we look forward to seeing Mr. national Niki on national TV as the sole source of expert aviation information available to Austrian media.........