Cobblers.
We've seen lots of postings from 'mainstream' trained PPLs wondering what it's like to land on licenced grass airfields. There are lots of people out there who haven't felt what it's like and who's closest experience of a landing off tarmac is when their instructor breaks off a PFL with the immortal words "I think we'd have walked away from that one".
These (IMHO) are the sorts of people who freak out when the donk stops and they can't see 2 miles of tarmac in front of them.
So what if the friendly banter turned into a friendly bet? That can be the best sort of banter and definitely the best sort of bet. Provided the banter wasn't fuelled by any recreational drugs to affect risk assessment I can't see a problem with it. It was his skin, and his Auster.
Our insurance premiums are hiked up by nosewheel collapses and religious nuts topping themselves, not by people (whispers it) having fun .
Sheesh
Steve R