Originally Posted by
topdrop
Wrong - AIP ENR 1.1-18 para 2.8.1.1
A pilot of an IFR flight, operating in VMC, in classes D and E airspace, may request to climb/descend VFR
What Dick is referring to, is not enroute VFR climbs, but the ability to depart vfr and pick up an IFR clearance enroute.
In the US, if you're at a non-radar, non towered airport and ATC will not give you a clearance to depart IFR because of inbound traffic, You're still allowed to depart VFR, and pick up your IFR clearance when clear of the traffic. provided of course that it's VFR and you're able to maintain that. That's not something you *request* from ATC, that's something you tell ATC you're doing. Until you've been given an IFR clearance, ATC isn't controlling you and can't tell you not to do something. I gather from the discussion here that in Australia, once you've made a taxi call, you are not permitted to do this.
Just to clarify, once you are on an IFR clearance enroute, you may not climb VFR at your discretion, you must request a clearance to do so.