When things go wrong its almost certainly hand flying skills that will count - I dont see George being of help when he has tripped out in the climb trying to maintain trim and rate as the airframe accumulates ice
Absolutely. In fact George may well be a distraction in this scenario.
- what I do see as counting is a pilot that can recognise where the aircraft is within the envelope, and what can and should be done to ensure the aircraft remains within a manageable envelope. In that respect an aerobatic pilot may have the edge, because he is accustom to operating close or beyond the edge of the envelope and he is accustom to reacting quickly and appropriately.
I think that if you are approaching the edges of the airframe and/or pilot envelope in IMC, you shouldn't have been there in the first place. If during the planning stage of the flight you suspect icing and turbulence might affect the flight, you have to ask yourself "if things start to go wrong, do I have the training and experience to cope and is the aircraft properly equiped?" If the answer is no, then the ground is the place to be, or at least a change of plan is required. So in that respect, I would rather fly with someone who said "I'm not happy to go" regardless of experience and training. You wouldn't expect commercial pilots to take such risks with you as a passenger, so why allow it to happen when you are doing it for fun?
Recovering from unusual attitudes in IMC is a purely Instrument discipline. I don't think that an aerobatic pilot would necessarily be better placed, other than they may have a more disciplined approach to their aviation and wouldn't have allowed the situation to develope in the first place.