Personally I think there is definitely a case for some IMC exposure at the PPL level, to scare pilots away from it when they are allowed to fly on their own or with passengers.
A number of different ways this can be achieved seem to be
- Illegal IMC in an unstabilised helicopter.
- Ride Along as an observer with an IFR pilot in an IFR machine, perhaps even get a go.
- A session in a simulator where the visuals are good enough to start off VMC and transition to IMC in flight.
I've asked around and a lot people have been taken into cloud at some point during training or testing, and found it valuable. Most examiners that do it, take the candidate 100' or so into cloud so as to minimise the risk to themselves and the aircraft.
I regularly take newly qualified(ish) FIs and CPLs along as co-pilot / observers to get them some exposure to IMC / IFR flying and to see more of the country they operate in, but generally its not possible for them to fly so perhaps of little training benefit from an IMC recovery standpoint.
A session in the sim is a great tool, but unless you are immersed enough in it to be convinced you are IMC, the stress is not there, the possibility of a fatal accident just isn't there so whilst valuable I believe its not got quite as much impact as a simulated IIMC exercise in the real thing.
I don't know what the right answer is, we can't expect the authority to condone things which are illegal, its their job not to. However it does always seems to fall to the guys in the industry to do their best, but if it goes wrong they'll get the bullet.
Perhaps VMC on top of a high layer of cloud and under foggles would make a decent compromise, keeps things legal and takes the candidate out of sight of the surface with just white beneath his feet and no visible horizon. Then the problem becomes the unpredictability of when you will get those conditions to fly in.
Cheers
GS