Being a current AS 350 pilot, I am a little concerned that the community creates this fear of a hydraulic failure in the 350. Correctly taught and correctly flown it should be a non event. A confusion about what the two switches (incorrectly named to begin with) sets up the scenario. Here is where proper training comes in. The TEST switch (on the panel)and the ISOLATE swich on the collective perform two entirely different functions and should be clearly understood. Once the emergency occurs the next step would be to follow the book. Here's where the correctly flown part comes in. All this does not mean that I am condemning the guys who pranged. Each situation is unique and I was not there. But there is a tendency to blow this out of proportion not just by the media but by the community at large.