(2) A reason to do so and thrills are not a good reason
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I have never done any crop dusting but the thrills of low flying are a real lure to some pilots.
Air racing especially Red Bull comes to mind
I came to flying from car racing many moons ago so the attraction to speed is ever present and I am sure the same goes for many pilots.
I have done some low flying but always over vast unpopulated areas or the sea and there is nothing like it for the shear thrill and sense of speed and the different persective of the terrain you fly over.
Many pilots seem to love a low pass down the runway but pilots are descouraged from low flying not only because of the dangers but because of the nuisance to people and animals who live below your path.
For those who love low flying but dont want the book thrown at them by the authorities try cloud flying.
You get the same sense of speed over flat and solid overcasts or for mountain flying playing around towering cumulus can be a thrill.
I can remember a very large piece of cumulus which had a tunnel carved right through the cloud. The tunnel was was perfect and could have ben carved out of rock. I flew through that tunnel which must have been 500 metres long with a ceiling ,a deck and sidewalls surrounding the aircraft. The experience was unreal.
But at least clouds are not hard (ok some are
and you have a nice piece of air below you while you practice your steep turns, pull ups, stall turns etc
I would also encourage a course rather than on low flying on mountain flying. Apart from being a life experience especially over the Alps it will give you a better understanding of air currents as well as low flying awareness.
pace