Flying high power odd-rocs is one thing; I don't know of anyone who has a problem with it. Certifying for high power on an odd-roc is quite a different matter. Building and successfully launching a high power rocket that deploys and recovers using an active recovery device is a more rigorous test of one's skills for the purpose of certification than relying on passive recovery techniques during the flight. The ban on passive recovery techniques only applies to the certification flight itself. Hey, it's only one flight. After you receive your certification, go ahead and fly high power odd-rocs to your heart's content.
I view the certification flight as an exam, a test of your knowledge and skills. Certification isn't something that you simply acquire by default, something that you get by simply showing up. You have to actually demonstrate that you possess certain specific knowledge and a certain specific set of skills in order to earn it. You can't just go in and say that you know it; you have to actually demonstrate it with a real flight. It's akin to taking the road test when you apply for a driver's license. You will have to demonstrate that you know how to execute a parallel park, even if you live in a rural area and will rarely if ever actually park parallel to the curb in between two cars ever again following the test. Driving road tests include a parallel parking task because it is a good test of the person's ability to handle the car and to judge distances. Think of the active recovery requirement in high power certification in similar terms.
