Originally Posted by BEagle
It'll take just one mid-air under such circumstances and the IMC-outside-CAS-without-radar big-sky-theory risk takers will probably find the rules changed. Particularly if the pieces of aeroplane and human raining down from the sky did so over a populated area.
BEagle,
Mid-airs happen and the rules aren't suddenly changed. They are reviewed to see if the balance of risk is correctly assessed.
Some times they result in rule changes like the Ceritos Crash that brought Mode C veils to the US terminal areas, or the airliner/airliner mid-air over the Grand Canyon that brought class A airspace above FL180 in the US.
Sometimes they result in a review and no change (the periodic GA/GA or GA/Mil mid airs in VFR) or international standardisation of crew responses (two airlines with ACAS under Radar Control in Germany).
The complexity of changing the UK airspace, regulation, infrastructure, etc. to move to an environment where ATC service (could be procedural or radar) is required to fly IMC in Class G is enormous. It would have to be a spectacular incident - and more likely would result in regulation or SOP for the airlines not to fly outside Radar Coverage in Class G.
Now anyone equipped to fly IFR who is trudging along in IMC not receiving a Radar Service AND not squawking (ideally Mode C/S) is taking totally unnecessary risks - unless they are a glider
