JJ
Gary's Safety Evenings are a good starting point but on the whole I consider these to be probably 'preaching to the converted'.
You are not the first to say it, I think we even discussed the thought when it was all still in its infancy, I'll leave it there for this thread and bring it up in the Heli Nights one in the next few days.
I genuinely don't know but perhaps the new 'Basic Licence' (I think thats what it will be called) when it comes in will have some increased weather minima associated with as it won't as far as I am aware have the 5hrs instrument as part of the course.
Post licence training is
hugely necessary particularly as we now have 5th or 6th generation 300hr FIs (those who were generally taught by 300hr guys themselves) and the wisdom that sometimes comes with experience is
not being handed down like it used to be.
Nigel if we could implement something like Pure VMC down to ????m it would be great, but the 1500m change met with quite a bit of opposition when it was introduced, uping it further and then lowering it after a post ppl course is a good idea, but I'll wager it meets with a lot of opposition. Perhaps implementing it through an insurance company scheme might work, but they'd all need to buy into, it and who would have grandfather rights ? I wholeheartdly support an iniative like this, but without legislation it would be very hard to pull off I believe. Its one of the reasons that one of the final things I advocate at the safety evenings is 'Go and Ask for advanced training after you qualify' because "You don't know what you don't know".
Gary
PS not a dig at 300hr FIs I am a product of the system which is why I know how it works and what its pitfalls seem to be.