“Only if you are willing to fly in IMC illegally. It is virtually impossible to do significant touring without some encounter with cloud - unless one is a permanently retired old chap with all the time in the world.”
This is a completely flawed argument. If a significant number of permit aircraft were being flown in IMC with uncertified systems then the accident rate for LAA aircraft would be higher than for similar accidents in C of A aircraft. Instead the accident rate for c of a aircraft is rising slowly (I think) but the accident rate IMC related incidents for LAA aircraft has been ZERO for years (as summarized in the LAA mags).
The start of the decline in the IMCR coincided with the CAA change in position regarding the IMCR being only a get you home qualification. This came about due to an accident not too dissimilar to the recent one in Scotland.
Rod1