Originally Posted by
Same again
I spent a few years flying for PAS in UK and I don't understand the requirement for a police helicopter pilot IR which could only be realistically used in an inadvertent IMC situation.
In a VFR at night scenario, not having an IR is an advantage (i say this as a Chief Pilot).
It will ensure that pilots cancel flights in case of weather that is near their minimums, while pilots with an IR do (at least sometimes) consider their IR as a good backup-plan to have (i know that i did plenty of times)...
Having an IR-especially in the more "complex" modern cockpits these days-is something that requires constant training to maintain proficiency.
If a company/outfit does never use this IR capability-why would they spent tens of thousands of Dollars a year on it?