Risk vs Benefit anaylsis
I attended a test pilot symposium in London, Ontario the last two days. Excellent, just excellent. One of the presentations focused on making and then flying to the risk vs benefit decision. The speaker cited several cases where the pilot took a risk, and there was no plausible benefit. Unacceptable.
But why would this apply only to test flying? Sure, this was great advice for test pilots, but that good advice flows much further outward that just test flight - to all flight! If you are contemplating something which adds risk (and impromptu show for the tower, or buzz of your friend's house, for example) ask yourself: Is there risk? Is there benefit? If they don't at least equalize, don't do it. Why would you?
Every flight I flew as an observer with the Government Flying Service of Hong Kong a few years back, was preceded by a risk vs benefit analysis written out on a form. In completing that form, it could take you to: "don't fly", or "don't do that". If it did, the plane did not fly the flight, and, a copy of your RvsB analysis was on file there, so no fudging the numbers