CJ,
You hover 15 feet in an R-22? If I have learned one thing in life it is that spinal injury can cause you to lose all feeling in your penis. That is an unacceptable risk to me.
I do not think it terms of safe and unsafe. I think in terms of risk benefit. I do not hover high in an R-22 because the risk of paralysis to me does not justify a reduction in dynamic rollover risk. Perhaps this is my background. In over 34 years of flying I have had six non-test related engine failures in various aircraft but not one dynamic rollover accident.
I am one of the people who define and validate the height velocity curve and have done so on many helicopters. I have personaly performed over 10,000 touchdown autorotations both with and intentionaly without engine in various civil and military training scenarios. I cannot think of an autorotation technique I have not evaluated or performed or taught. Flare, no flare, pitch pull, no pitch pull, zero speed, high speed, straight-in, high rotor, low rotor, min descent, max glide, 180, 360 and multiples.
My opinion about risk is not predicated on a data set of 1 location. There are many flat areas here in Arizona. Some suitable for landing, others not. There are also mountains and one of the largest canyons in the world. We even have cars, wires, fences, walls, poles, people, animals, bushes, trees, rivers, terrain, etc here. I have flown over a few and with the exception of take-off and landing, I try to do so at a minimum risk altitude. There are few places or types of terrain in the world where I have not flown helicopters.
I do not suggest that pilots run into things and am surprised you would draw that conclusion from my opinions. I suggest that they fly at a height and speed and over a path where extraordinary skill or knowledge will not be required to land in the event of a power failure.
Please note that the term "unsafe" is yours, not mine. I said it is difficult to justify the risk. I have spent my whole life learning how to fly helicopters and I continue to learn so I do not understand why you suggest I am unwilling to learn. I even learn how to do "unsafe" things, but I have also learned when the benefit justifies the risk. Helicopter flying is like that.
Your reasoning seems flawed to me in that you accept risk that I will not; but we all define risk individually. However when I read that you do things other pilots consider unsafe you remind me of the soldier on the parade field who complained because he was the only one marching in time to the drum.
Intelligence is the flower of discrimination. There are many examples of the flower blooming but not bearing fruit.