Well, if ever there was a thread worthy of drifting, it's gotta be this one!
Sport planes: Is personal flying from place to place, or just "around" to the pilot's satisfaction a sport? Is driving a car with a removable roof and stripes on a public road a sport? I know that my car is not insured if I drive it in "sporting events", so I'm certain it's not a sports car (I doubt that many diesel station wagons would be anyway!). I have noticed that most TV advertisments for cars, which show them being driven, have a warning at the bottom of the sreen which says something like "professional driver, closed course", so I wonder if I could buy that car, and drive it on a public road anyway.
I do loop and roll my plane, as well as use it of long distance flying, but aside from possible air traffic control interest, nobody judges or scores my flying, so I doubt either personal aerobatics, or cross country flight is a sport.
I do see a lot of trucks labled "OFF ROAD" on public roads, I've always wonder how that is allowed!
I can see the wisdom of the 7 exams and 20K for driving licensing. We'd have only the very best, most serious people driving, and the income would cover highway costs excellently!
If someone would like to have flying as a hobby, that's perfectly fine with me, as long as they take it as serioulsy as those of us who work in the aviation industry. But, as long as businesses struggle to make a go of it with a few two seat trainers, and John Travolta flies a B707 around for a hobby, I don't think "hobby" and aircraft size should be associated with each other.