I don't think it was intended as sage advice. I think it was just a coy way of telling me a few things: a)You assume all pilots are like all the ones you've met over the years – not all of them are conservative or profession. b) Judging by his actions, the pilot in the story is a half-wit. c)Even though you are my customer and you might spend thousands of dollars in my school, if you turn out to be idiotic or crazy or similar, you will not be endorsed. At least that's how I took it.
I think I see your point, Nev, not only will I resist making such judgements on flight crew, I should always remember not to think these things out loud. For now, I am definitely very much unqualified to make any judgements about others.
I suppose I've kind of transposed that 'birds do it' conversation into a kind of 'fridge-magnet' stuck somewhere in my mind as a somewhat amusing way to highlight something very serious. Maybe that's why my internal compass hasn't been working properly lately.
I hope to be a pilot some day but not to be that pilot.