It is a fantastic resource and tool to have, and certainly makes our routine ops far safer, however it should not be used as a way to get home in bad weather, under minima.
I totally agree. When the RAF decided in the 1980s to routinely equip helicopter crews with NVG as the normal way to fly at night for all SH crews, someone on high produced a new set of weather limits considerably less stringent than for unaided night flight (or "reversionary night flight" as it was then known). Some of us instructing at the coalface with previous experience protested most strongly because in the event of a NVG failure, or the weather limits being reached, there was only the IFR option remaining. Seeing as we couldn't operate under IFR (our type couldn't carry enough reserve fuel and had no ILS, no ADF, no Mode C and not even a heading bug on the compass - all we had was a single VOR and a DME (and even then the VOR couldn't receive any "Y" channels"), it was obvious that someone was soon going to get caught out in a big way. Thankfully, we were listened to and for once, common sense prevailed.