Originally Posted by
Sunfish
LB:
So to avoid punitive action by CASA, our VFR pilot files no flight plan, switches off the transponder, makes no radio calls and does their best to remain invisible, what a recipe for safe flight. I've encountered an RV pilot who virtually confessed to doing 'a bit of IFR" despite not being IFR rated, to get from A to B sometimes. He was relying on his whizz bang electronics and autopilot.
VFR pilots dabbling in a bit of IFR to get home is not exactly a new pattern of behaviour. I recall pilots bragging of doing it decades ago. I observed pilots doing it decades ago.
I also seem to recall reading a lament in the crash comics (back when we had them), that the rate of fatalities caused by flight into IFR conditions by pilots and/or aircraft unqualified for the task seemed to remain at a constant rate irrespective of how many articles about how that often turns out that were published over the years in the digest.
I think it also mentioned a similar issue with pilots suffering fuel exhaustion (again despite the number of articles published).
I sometimes wonder when we comment about the lack of airmanship and pilotage skills exhibited by the newer generation of GA pilots and when we criticise the poor standard of today's instruction and instructors, we may be looking through rose coloured glasses when comparing it to the good old days.
I suspect in GA that poor judgement, a lacking of skills and knowledge and poor airmanship are not things that have only just appeared.