[WayneS]

Should he have ridden it in just because in the old days they did, or should he let his self-preservation instinct override the way things were done back in the day?

Maybe. It depends on what he's prepared to live with.

[Pentagon Leatherneck]

Seems to me you’re implying that Nieubauer should have committed suicide for no purpose other than looking good. When a low-altitude, low-airspeed Hornet loses its last engine, the pilot effectively becomes cargo, as he doesn’t have any maneuverability (or perhaps controls as well) to guide the aircraft. So “riding it in” would be purposeless. The jets have fairly good low/slow ejection seats after the party is over and the crash spot written in stone.

TC