The problem is where do you draw the line?
In this case the pick up might have fitted in perfectly with a legitimate training sortie, however even the pages of Pprune have legendary stories of flying the length of the country for fresh kippers, etc.
Unfortunately, like it or not you have to be able to justify your actions in todays environment. We are being asked to save pennies on the ground to make a difference, the operating cost of aircraft is huge in comparison.
Outdated and arrogant attitudes of 'I can do what I like' need to be consigned to the history books, bad
PR sticks even if untrue and our leaders care about it much more than they do about us. Even if something is legitimate, would it look good if the press found out and put it on the front page? There is still some fun to be had but the most important rule applies, 'Don't get caught!'