I would tend to agree with the consensus that totalling the amount of time spent IFR is superfluous. Tells naff all. Zip. Nada.
The whole system needs to be reviewed as well. For the removal of Applied Instruments is laughable anyway. Minimum 200 hours IFR time to teach an IR. Let me think, 50 Hours for your initial IR course, which, by definition is all by sole reference to instruments. So multiply time by 4 and bingo, 200 hours IFR and off you skip merrily to the CAA. I doubt that any instructor will be able to teach a full IR with that level of experience.
You're logbook is a record of your flying experience and as a result should reflect this. Logging time spent at FL45 flying up to your grannies for tea as IFR says nothing about your experience. Now, if this trip was in solid IMC and a bit of icing and a dash of turbulence thrown in, well then the situation is different. Your workload will be measureably higher and chances are you will have learnt something.
I think that DFC has raised quite a pertinent point about when to log. As someone who spends time zooming around Single Pilot IFR obviously I spend (specially this time of year) a preportion of my time IMC. Now, as a Single Pilot, cockpit workload dictates that I have and use an autopilot. I say autopilot, it's only really holds height and heading, no fancy stuff. So, what then? I am flying by sole reference to instruments, monitoring hawklike the autopilot, yet I am not directly manipulating the controls. By certain peoples arguments I am not flying on instruments. Well, if I'm not, then who the heck is!!!
Taking this argument a step further. Remove the word autopilot and insert the word co-pilot. Flying on instruments, monitoring the other pilot, but not manipulating the controls. I still think that this is valid time on instruments and will log that accordingly.
And naturally, if not more so, this also applies witho students. You are also on instruments making sure they don't stuff it into the nearest hill. You are not at the controls, but I bet you would be pretty damn quick if it all started going pear shaped.
So, my points are that IFR time in the logbook is useless. If you are in IMC and you are a required member of crew then I would log that as time on instruments.
The above being the case is there was a suitable column in the logbook.
