Flight at night in the UK must be in accordance with IFR (or special VFR if in a control zone).
Correct, as is Nipper2's post.
You do not need an IMC rating or IR to fly IFR in the UK (at night or any other time). However, if you don't have one of those ratings, you must not fly in IMC. (The UK is quite unusual in having this strange arrangement, and it's hardly surprising people don't understand it.)
From a practical point of view, the rules you must obey when flying IFR are:
- You must fly the correct quadrantal levels if above the transition altitude
- You must be 1000' higher than the tallest object within 5nm, unless you are below 3000', clear of cloud and in sight of the surface
If you stay below 3000' and within the privileges of your PPL, neither of these apply to you, and there is no practical difference between IFR and VFR.
FFF
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