The Grim Reaper Again
There is a pathological need amongst some pilots to, when thinking of flight to also think of death as if it is a qualifying requirement to fly.
There is no evidence either in fact or circumstantial to substantiate the believe that safety following the IR is greater than that achieved amongst IMCr pilots. It cannot be safer if one accepts the zero figure from the IMCr statistics. If anything the IR in its current form is perhaps 'over the top'. With the introduction of the JARs the IR course went up to 55 hours. Why, for it had been claimed, though nievely, that the UK IR was the finest in the world at a couple of hours over 40hrs minus 10 hours off if you had an IMC rating.
Frog_ATC you seem to have had the fear of God bread into your flying. Why frog do you believe that a Shark is maybe lurking just below cloud, just waiting to get you. To be honest I know what you mean, I find life is much safer in IMC - if one believes that the only encounters will be from those talking to RADAR and therefore be known as it is within the UK owing to the IMCr. It appears to be more that two aircraft collide in VMC as mm_Flyn reminds us and as continues to be experienced outside of the UK. According to FROG they would all be english if she had her way! Her husbands near miss during a procedure, of course, had to be an englishman for the french non IR pilot would have lost control well before the beacon, no doubt.
Frog, you acknowledge yourself, the old chauvinistic thinking that; if you do not want someone to do something keep it a secret from them, as if you can. In fact education generally and the IMCr specifically proves the opposite. Many in the UK who undertake the IMC course also learn their personal limitations and later work within that limitation. Ignorance and fear are the greatest killers. The IMCr course removes the fear and eradicates ignorance and teaches respect. I have never witnessed arrogance evolving out of the IMCr training only humility. To the doubters, hasn't that got to be a good thing?