Originally Posted by
Sillert,V.I.
I know there are many here who believe a flight of this nature should never have taken place in a piston single at night.
That said, the aircraft type was designed for this type of mission when flown IFR by a suitably qualified and licenced pilot.
If this flight had been planned using this aircraft, but IFR using the airways at a sensible flight level, it would almost certainly have ended uneventfully.
How difficult would it have been in practice to have found a suitably qualified CPL/IR to captain this flight?
Probably not difficult ( but more money). However that still wouldnt make the flight legal with regard it being a charter and a fare paying customer. So it poses the question if you are prepared to pay the extra for a suitably qualified pilot - why not pay for a legal charter ?