I really don't think its a case of anyone scaring anyone while in the air.
Its just young blokes being young blokes and being tits.
Its just the same when everyone gets there driving license and the boys think it is fun to parp the horn and screw around with every control they can reach.
I can just imagine the OP is trying to run his checks and folk are fiddling with the primer and flicking switches on and knocking him out of his train of thought. Up in the air if he hesitates for a moment they will take the RT call for him. May even accept a clearance from ATC that he doesn't want, might not really understand or might not have heard clearly. When he asks what it was they will just reply turn right mate or even worse say "I have it" and start putting control inputs in.
The lot of them need to have a right good kick in the chugs and torn a strip off by someone who is none PC and who will dominate the sods (and that includes the OP)