Originally Posted by
excrab
FI1ngfrog beat me to it, but the only restriction for the IR(r) is that you must have 1500 metres met visibility at the airfield (not runway visual range) for take off and landing. Legally there is nothing to stop you from descending down to the published ILS MDA or MDH which for Glasgow runway 23 would be 200 ft plus pressure error correction (normally 250ft for a light aircraft). at that point, provided you have visual reference which can just be the approach lights shining through the cloud you can continue below decision height to land, even if you can’t see the runway surface at that point and you are still in cloud. Generally even at cat 1 minimum visibility of 550 metres you could expect to see the approach and touchdown zone lights at 250 feet unless the cloud is exceptionally dense, so with 1500 metres visibility you will almost certainly see them.
I am not saying that it is a good idea, especially in a single engine aircraft, whatever ratings you hold, but my post was about what you are legally allowed to do with the IMC rating / IRR, if you are in current practise. This is what an IMC rating holder is allowed to do, so it should be the standard to which they are tested, the requirements for the ILS (half scale deflection localiser and glide slope and never below DH to commence the go around) is the same as for the IR, the only relaxation to the standards are in speed and heading holding. I am not saying that the average club pilot in a Cessna 150 can do this a year after their course, but someone building hours for a CPL who has been trained properly and is keeping in practise should be able to in a properly equipped aircraft, and that was the basis of the original question.
If you’re not familiar with operating in these conditions and want to see what it is like then I would imagine that You Tube would be a good place to start.
Thanks. Fully familiar and current with it.