What action would a light single have time to take?
If he was looking where he was going he would have had exactly the same time to react and maneuvre that I had. Any adjustment of his velocity vector away from my own would have been very welcome. The fact that there was limited opportunity available to provided safe separation illustrates one of the many hazards of low level valley flying and begs the question 'is it wise to put yourself in that situation unnecessarily'. I was there, professionally trained to low fly and legally authorised to operate down to 50ft. I would presume that most likely he was there for a bit of fun.
I would not claim that the RAF 'own' the sky and I accept that under certain circumstances a PPL holder can fly below 500ft legally. Having that right does not automatically mean that exercising that right is always a good idea. I do actually see this argument from both sides as I own a share in a light aircraft. I have to confess that in my previous life, military low flying was some of the most exciting and demanding flying I have ever done and I would love to do it again. However you would not in a million years catch me bimbling through the Mach Loop, or as my example referred to, the M6 Pass, because of the risk to my own neck and that of the professional pilot, there out of necessity, coming the other way at 6G and 420kts. I guess that puts me firmly in the stuffy old killjoy category.
At the speed I fly, I'm like a hedgehog on the motorway to them.
Hedgehogs may have the legal right to cross motorways, but electing to do so for recreation is not necessarily a good idea.