Decks/Bitmonx:
I still think it's bloody scary
! I agree with most of what has been said, the R22 is a good trainer to get your scan going and learn procedures. However it has it's limitations and will not provide one of the most important parts of IR training - Flying in IMC. I do agree that an ILS on a R22 is hard work compared to a real IFR stabilized machine. However flying an ILS in real IMC conditions is another story altogether. Training to overcome the effect of "the leans" etc. is in my opinion as important as learning to fly the procedures and should be integral part of the IR. Foggles, screens, etc cannot simulate real IMC.
I think you are quite right, it probably is a good tool for pilots in many conditions (night, bad vis, inadvertant IMC...) I just don't feel comfortable with the idea that someone can quite legally fly IMC with this qualification. I suppose it puts the responsibility onto the ifr operators to make sure that their pilots are properly trained.
The JAR/UK IR requires around 55h (mixture of FNPT's, R22, IFR Helicopter) flying and is very expensive £30000+. However I think that after this course most pilots ARE able to fly IFR/IMC for real.
I also agree that the GPS is a very useful tool for IFR flying . I treat it as a bonus though because it can and will fail, like everything else. So I rather be prepared.
Safe flying! (especially in IMC
)