What a great post Miken100, I quite agree!
I wonder that a few posters post here, who perhaps don't play as well with others, would appear to post just so they can see their words "in print". In my history of learning to fly (which continues to this day) I owe so much to some many pilots who have bothered to take their time to tell me, or show me something. I am alive today, because of a combination of that wisdom, and my ability to apply it to a safe flight. I figure that I owe that back in some way. So I post - but with care, and caution, for what readers might do with it.
In "the old days" (1970's for me) in addition, to formal flying instruction, flying was also learned by reading books and magazines, and sitting around the club, hoping that your presence would be tolerated amongst a conversation of skygods. There was no mass communication means as we have here now.
But, as Miken100 correctly points out, if you're a party to the live discussion about flying, you have all of the additional non verbal cues about what is being said. Here, it's a struggle. Without a firm basis of understanding, the new pilots here, might be taking literally what is written in failed humour, or sarcasm. ...And can't distinguish the wannabe Walter Mittys posts.
It is my hope that I could meet anyone form PPRuNe face to face (and I have met some) and there would be smiles and handshakes. (Okay, there's one I never want to meet, but he was banned) This is too small an industry to go around angering other who share our passion. We have to encourage new people to participate safely, or our industry shrinks. Similarly, I would be mortified to have a flying school operator come to me and say: "you so and so, my student wrecked a plane, 'cause he tried something you put in a post on PPRuNe".
So, for me, I will not post a description of something which exceeds a limitation, or conflicts with a recommended practice in a Flight Manual, unless it is to mention something I have done in accordance with a Transport Canada accepted flight test plan (like spinning a Cessna Caravan
).
That leaves discussions about techniques. It's interesting that what some pilots will willingly explore, causes such such trauma for others. The zero G in the PA-28, and chart floating around the cabin for a few seconds, causes pages of posts of horror, but is well within the limits of the plane.
For myself, I have personally pulled two dead friends from their crashed planes at the local airport, and there was a third training crash there. all after failed low altitude turns. That reality for me serves as the ultimate reminder to not encourage pilots to casually undertake such maneuvers. and makes it a personal red flag for me. Not a complete "don't do", just highlight the very real dangers. I know others here have there own personal experiences with certain techniques too.
For the new pilot, obviously willing to sift through mounds of written material, the reasonable sum of all of this, is pretty wise guidance to safe flying. Yes, PPRuNe seems to fill a new role as a source of training wisdom, and that is a product of the communication age. We who know better owe it to the rest to point them the right way.