Originally Posted by
TBL Warrior
If flying IMC and avoiding thunderstorms in icing conditions are “hardball” I suggest taking up another profession.
I'm with 421dog on this.
Punting a 40+ year old 400 series Cessna in real ice (the type that starts before you even get airborne), poor visibilty and dodging storms with old tech radar (if any), basic autopilot (if it works at all), steam gauges (mostly working), marginal engine-out performance and no co-pilot to help out, is about as hardball as it gets.
Operators are not always keen to retrofit these old clunkers with the latest and greatest IFR gear, and even if they do, it's a bit like putting lipstick on a pig - the airframe, systems and performance are still a pig.
Kudos to 421dog.