TwinAisle
"I don't know of any IMC rated pilots who would actually want to fly on a day when they are going straight into IMC for the duration anyway"
I know a few, including myself. If you have the Rating, you have the privileges, and if you have had the training, have the currency, have a suitably equipped aircraft, then not flying within limits of your privileges is just a waste of all the time and money spent learning the stuff.
"if you want to fly with the big boys"
That sort of patronising language is best kept out of any rational debate. Do you edit Gasil/Gasco by any chance?
skyrabbit
"Remember the ppl/imc that died trying to do an ILS approach into Le Touquet?"
Remember all those airline pilots and their passengers that died doing an ILS approach into [name an airport]. Loads and loads. An IMCR holder who cannot fly an ILS perfectly well should have had a decent instructor.
flower
"Those with IR ratings in the main have them as they wish to or either already do so fly commercially."
That is partially true (in the GA scene, many IRs are held by hour-building instructors and most of these either have no currency or are lapsed, and most instructors that might have had an IR but teach the IMCR let their IR lapse because they can't afford it) but is barking up the wrong tree. The reason why a lot of IMC Rated pilots have bad training and low currency is because most of the instructors that teach it shouldn't be teaching it, and most of the planes one can get one's hands on are junk (for IMC). If you compare an IMCR pilot (owner of a plane with all the kit, flies 100-200hrs/year) with an IR pilot (owner of a plane with all the kit, flies 100-200hrs/year) their IMC skills will be just the same after a year. Except airways, which is not in the IMCR privileges anyway. You are only as good as your currency on type, and just because most current IRs are flying a multi crew space shuttle (on which the autopilot is rarely disengaged) paid for by someone else this is not only outside the GA context but is also not a reason to criticise the IMC Rating.
So, all of you, please stop knocking the IMC Rating. It is a super privilege. Much more usefully, have a go at the training establishment which in the main treats it as just a way of getting another £3k out of somebody before he drops off the GA radar permanently as most do, and have a go at the GA training aircraft operators who think that spending 50hrs in a 30 year old piece of junk is the proper initiation ceremony for "proper pilots". The first is going to be a lot easier than the second
