It's these sort of people, with this level of mojo, that we call upon in times of conflict. If they don't have the mojo at the beginning, it's acquired through training. FJ guys used to have a "hole in the wall" (as they called it - cleft in a mountain which had minimal clearance) near our base which was seen as a rite of passage. Reminded of a story about the RAF in Germany, true or not I don't know. Someone in the flight safety branch heard a story about how a certain squadron was in the habit of flying beneath a certain bridge, so he packed his lunch and spent the day observing, intending to stamp out the practice at a rogue squadron. Saw many an aircraft flying beneath the bridge, Vampires, Canberras etc (ie everybody was doing it) but after seeing a formation of Vampires doing the same, packed up and decided the practice was wide spread and there was little risk.
I can admire that guy's skill, but not his judgement.
These guys are not foolish, they do the training and back out if conditions are not met. They, as much as anyone, appreciate the risks, and do everything in their power to minimise those risks. The professional display and aerobatic pilots are no different. They come to grief on occasion as well. Life is not without risk, it's a case of how much risk are you as an individual willing to accept.