Originally Posted by Frank Hadad
In the North East we fly in these conditions constantly and as long as there aren’t thunderous activities in the vicinity, it’s just IFR folks. It’s what we’re trained for. IFR is IFR and if we're in the soup starting 200 or 2000 feet… what's the difference?
The difference is the risk of an unfavourable outcome, if there's a problem such as an engine failure. Just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should, especially in a single engined aeroplane, but it depends on how risk averse you are. There is some evidence that seat belts and air bags in cars lead to more risk taking by drivers, so it's possible that glass cockpits and airframe parachutes have the same effect on some pilots. This is an area that's ripe for research.