Miserlou
We are splitting hairs on terminology here.
In UK airspace, Class D/G (no airways), there is no practical difference between
a) flying VFR while equipped and planned for IFR
b) flying IFR and ending up in VMC here and there
I do a) all the time; that's my normal flight planning mode and IMHO any instrument rated pilot should plan all flights that way (why the hell did you do your IMCR/IR if you then chuck away the extra options?).
Occassionally I do b) but I tend to do it only when the weather on departure is either atrocious or the tower won't allow a VFR departure in the conditions. It has the advantage that one gets an IFR departure clearance and the tower contacts the next radar ATCU en-route with your details and often one even gets a squawk allocated which saves messing about later. But - absent aforementioned conditions - it is rarely necessary because one can usually depart VFR and change to IFR immediately afterwards.
I think there are a number of people on here who have no instrument training (other than from the CAA safety seminar presenter
) and have no idea beyond flight in VMC. I bet most of them have never even been in a well equipped modern plane.
boomerangben, why would someone go IMC when below the MSA? The whole idea of the instrument option is to AVOID flying below the MSA! And only an idiot would have out of date plates etc.
You are playing the same game as DFC: picking up an example pilot who shouldn't be doing something (because he's not trained and/or not current) and then using that to bash those that are trained and are current (and have current plates and don't have them at the bottom of their bag).