Originally Posted by
Bravo73
I don’t know the numbers but I wouldn’t necessarily say that ‘most’ helicopter pilots aren’t IFR rated. Plenty of us are and use it on a regular basis.
The numbers are available in some countries via private/public databases from sources like the FAA below. In general, of all active pilots in the US only 50% have an instrument ticket with less than 20% current. When the number of helicopter pilots is extracted the instrument ratio drops. So depending on your definition of "most" there are a solid majority of helicopter pilots in the US that are not instrument rated. However, in certain specific sectors the IR ratio is much higher due to regulatory requirements such as EMS helicopter pilot who are required to have an IR per Part 135. The discussion of instrument ratings/proficiency/currency vs flight safety has been an ongoing topic in many circles which drives the data availability.
https://www.faa.gov/data_research/av...men_statistics