A couple of years ago I got caught out by the weather and diverted to Cranfield in a Super Cub. Had to leave the aircraft there for a few nights, didn't have any chocks or tie-downs with me (my mistake), and no one at Cranfield had any chocks (in fact, no one could believe that anyone would fly an aircraft without a parking brake). The only tie-downs were on the grass parking area, which was closed for the winter.
Spoke to the airfield director, who gave me permission to park and tie down on the grass, but he was very very worried about the state of the grass - he insisted that I walk the route first to check I was happy with it. Was I happy with it? Well, the parking area was in far better condition than the runway I'd taken off from a few hours earlier!
Genghis, I think you're right - it's just an illogical fear of the unknown in many cases.
FFF
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