Bose-x said:
I do not see the relevance of your comment. The IMCR as it stands NOW is what needs to be preserved or are you suggesting we take it back to 10 hrs?
I was merely observing that the IMCR safety case is primarily one of reducing CFIT and loss of control accidents, and in that respect the
entire 38 years history of the rating is relevant.
But you raise an interesting question.
Amongst the people actively involved with the authorities on this subject, you are by no means alone in appearing to believe it's already a lost cause. It seems likely, from what's been 'reported', that 1) the airline pilot lobby will prevail in preventing an EASA-wide IMCR (which is presumably a controlled-airspace issue, first and foremost); and 2) the objectives of the 'European Project' will prevail to prevent any national variations.
If the IMCR is otherwise to be lost, do you know if consideration been given to a fall-back position corresponding to the 1970-1981 IMCR, whereby the holder of the rating gets IMC privileges OCAS and special VFR privileges in controlled airspace? Maybe that's something the airline-pilot lobby would be more likely to accept, and could form the basis of a European-wide rating? Not ideal, from a UK perspective, but nothing like as disastrous to UK GA as the loss of the rating in its entirety. Does this have any merit?