Well, I do seem to have stirred up a hornet's nest. Sounds like I've been doing it right (NO thanks to those who assumed I was fiddling the books!) as I only log actual clag or simulated IF.
Thanks to 2donks for finding the relevant JAR quote, as I couldn't find any definition of instrument flight. I'd noticed the JAR requirement to log IFR but had equally assumed that this was a typical JAR mistake, apparently rightly so. Like BEagle I'd looked in LASORS and was therefore confused.
Two interesting questions emerge from this:
1. the said airline pilot insisted this was the common practice amongst his colleagues (in a major airline), even though he freely admits to making visual approaches;
2. the said airline pilot also seemed not to have noticed his requirement to see and avoid in VMC (unless in class A, one assumes), and he goes in and out of Newcastle amongst others...
I'll chase this up further as he and his colleagues appear to be breaking the law.
Tim