Interesting thread, from a pilot's point of view. Especially from an instructor's point of view - I often have reason to fly instrument approaches in VMC (for training) and it's good to know what I can and can't do.
Can I ask for your thoughts on the following related issue? A hypothetical airport in Class G is occassionally short of staff, and is not able to provide any form of approach control service for short periods due to not having appropriately qualified controllers.
If I want to fly an instrument approach, in VMC, the tower controller is not able to clear me for the approach because he is not qualified to do so. But he is happy, and might even pass me traffic information, if I inform him that I will be "general handling in the overhead at 3000'" and I then fly something which looks suspiciously like a hold. Likewise, I can then inform him that I will be "general handling to the east of the airfield", and then that I am "6 mile final" for the westerly runway, from which point he will clear me to land, touch+go, or low approach and go around as appropriate. Has anyone broken any rules?
How about the same situation in IMC, notwithstanding the fact that I have no method of avoiding conflicting traffic?
FFF
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