Sure. Staying at low level after rotate to build up the speed, is great if you need zoom potential and to reach a safe speed to avoid an unnecessary ejection. None of the aircraft involved yesterday had ejection seats.
However for the average GA pilot it limits the safe options in the event of an engine failure. Sure, you have lots of speed, and no height, so what are your options? As you asked “I would have thought the earlier you could gain some height the better”. Exactly.
It is more efficient to sustain the recommended climb speeds (best rate, best angle or other compromise). In the event of an engine problem you only need an average push forward to descend at your best glide speed. Then flare a bit as you gently descend into the trees.
If you zoom into a high angle climb, you are increasing your load factor, increasing your stall speed (due to G), getting into an Unusual Attitude, and quickly getting back to (or below) your S&L stall speed, with your nose still above the horizon. Not a comfy place for most pilots that I know.
Similar conditions exist for steep turns soon after takeoff. High G, approaching the increased stall speed, and lack of climb ability. How proficient are you in incipient spin recovery at low level?
Simply put, if you are not trained to do it, and it’s not standard, then it’s not worth risking lives for. Watching the experts do it ‘with ease’ twenty minutes earlier, does not magically give you new super powers. People die trying this.
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