Steve - you are 100% correct. Most pilots, and especially fighter pilots, had a huge amount of "youthful exuberance and/or lack of judgement." And it got many of them killed.
So I just finished a comparison of the different air forces in this regard.
- USAAF fighters
- USAAF strategic bombers (B-17s and B-29s)
- RAF
- Luftwaffe
- US Navy
They all did it, but the effects in pilot losses seem to have been worst for the Luftwaffe. The Luftw. even called these losses "the plague" because it killed so many.
My paper is available
on my blog, here. I am eager for additional sources and evidence.