Mike, thanks very much for filling us in.
I take it from your post that NVG ops below LSALT are allowed given appropriate pilot qualifications for VFR or IFR conditions as the case may be. What have you worked out in regards to being at low level on goggles with weather around and having to possibly get up to IFR LSALT for inadvertant IMC? This can be a bit of a bugbear in that you can be tooling around at low level in hilly terrain, for example, and find that the vis becomes unacceptable, then be faced with having to get up safely. I'm sure you have considered it, but would be interested in the policy re reduced vis, low light levels etc.
Also, is it just the 6 hrs crewman NVG time you were fighting or the pilot time as well? I'd say 10 hrs isn't unreasonable for a pilot by the time you get general handling, emergencies and a bit of nav out of the way.
Good on you for doing the hard yards to get it rolling.