the whole thing affected his life for years.
As I become an adult, I think about this more ('cause I really did not give it enough thought for the first 40 years of my flying). I now find I'm asking myself "How badly do I really want to do X in the plane?". Often the answer comes back "Not so much." Particularly when there is an audience. When I flight test something, I take it out of sight, as best I can.
Air displays are an important part of the maintenance of public enthusiasm for aviation, so a favourable outcome is vital. I enjoy going to air displays where I can see some nice easy flybys of the real showpiece aircraft.