I wonder who really has more experiance the 200hr fATPL holder or the 800hr IMCR pilot?
Never mind sitting the exams what about a FI(R) just out of school in there first week.
I felt such a fraud charging money to poeple with 2,3,4 times as many hours as me.
Personally I think the instrument appreciation given at PPL level is put in to try and show how difficult it is.
The IMC continues that training to a point that more likely than not your not going to kill yourself in the first 3 mins of entering cloud. And it will also give you confidence to think sod this and climb to MSA where as before they would have pushed an even worse situation. So in some ways its the fact you have done the IMC training which counts more than if you keep it current.
As for what you do with it. In a SEP there is not much difference between a IR holder and a IMC holder. Both are likely to have much the same currency level which is the thing that counts. Personally I have done the old IMC from loosing sight of the ground at 500ft to mins at the other end in a SEP. Would I do it again?
Proberly not unless the trip had to be done. Ie someones granny was in hospital in EDI or Glasgow and they needed to be down quick. The level of risk your exccepting by doing this in my view isn't exceptable in a SEP but thats only me. I don't have a problem with other people doing it.
And I agree with rustle flying IFR on a flight plan in controlled airspace is alot easier than IMC in class G. And in some ways easier than flying VFR.
MJ