When I first started playing I took my score dead serious. It was 'everything' to me when playing. However, after playing for roughly a year I got over it, realizing that some of those who weren't ranked in the "elite" were still really good. Got in a squad and seen the laid back attitudes of every-day people just wanting to have a good time. I admit, it is sometimes frustrating when you land and something like that happens. Been there, we all have at one point or another.
I think of many pros and cons of the game, but I think of it as a balancing thing. In this case, sure you might think you deserve to get a landed safely because you landed within a certain distance of the base, or you are 'parked' right next to the runway. You can view that as a pro or a con. I think it's a balancing factor (most likely unintended by HTC) for having 'unlimited' lives and planes. Lets face it, if you crashed an expensive aircraft like that, do you think ANYONE would allow you to fly in another one if you kept crashing them? We get the luxury of crashing, shooting them up, and losing parts all across the 'worlds' and still get a new plane, no questions asked.. or the hassle.
*shrug*
I used to think the same way. But I like the challenge of landing on the runway.