Pace, I completely agree with the sentiment of what you are saying, and believe me, my wife and kids do not fly privately with anyone I have not "approved of", but I'm fortunate, in that I am fairly well qualified to judge a pilot's skill in that realm, and being the husband/dad, have the right to do so, without incurring society's wrath.
If, on the other hand, I come on PPRuNe, and assert that "low time" pilots should fly with passenger carrying privilege restrictions, all the new pilots here will whine me to death.
It was not too long ago, we were discussing this here:
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...new-pilot.html (sorry to seem to single you out Adrian, it was not intentional). But the experienced pilots in the group tend to wince when the "low time" pilots express their intent to do those things in planes, and with passengers, that we still think twice about.
I remember. I did a lot of not so bright things in planes, and probably grazed fate more often than I knew (never bent a plane in flight though!). It might have happened while flying yesterday, but it's statistically more likely it was in my first few hundred hours, more than 30 years ago.
In hind sight, it was probably the few hundred hours I did as a 14 and 15 year old passenger with my buddy, where I saw first hand what not to do. Lucky me, getting to watch, and live through someone else's mistakes, so I could learn, and repeat only a few of them.
I did quite a lot of "mentoring" flying with Doctor/Dentist/Lawyer types in their fancy floatplanes and amphibians. I though began thinking I was going for a fun lunch, I soon learned that the boss sent me along to keep them safe. I realized that the fresh pilot's license, and a few hundred thousand dollars invested in a plane, does not take away the risks - only experience can, and lots of it. JFK Jr. might have realized this a few hundred feet above the ocean, at Mach 0.7. He was probably a nice fellow, but he just never had the opportunity to learn on his own (scare himself solo), before he had to live up to the pressure of the image with passengers....
Discouraging and demeaning new pilots is not the way to make things better here. Imposing immeasurable restrictions is not the way either. Only cheerful mentoring, and setting, and presenting, a good example of caution from the old timers, will keep our industry safe, and growing. (And, by the way, an instructor rating does not automatically make you an "old timer"!)
"Low time" pilots (whoever you are) learn your limitations cautiously, either solo, or with qualified supervision. Then, take your passengers in circumstances well within those limitations. Caring pilots never carry passengers to the limitations of the pilot or the plane!