Originally Posted by
IO540
There is a lot of truth in that but while one can obviously fly anything unofficially in IMC when enroute, there is an issue with the build quality of these very lightweight planes: they tend to be rather flimsy and one would be pretty brave to be chucked around in IMC, perhaps collecting ice.
IFR certification is going to be really tough for most of them - even when it becomes legally possible.
There are issues, but it's not build quality, in fact microlights are generally built to slightly higher structural requirements than most light aircraft. (They also are aircraft, not woodworking tools.)
The main ones are:
- Lack of a certified engine (and thus subject to a maintenance regime assumed to substantially reduce risk of engine failures)
- Handling qualities not shown to comply with the requirements for flight in IMC
- Lack of duplication of primary flight instruments.
- Lack of a (certified) Attitude Indicator
- Lack of de-icing of the pitot
- Lack of a secondary static source
- Lack of certified navigation instruments allowing positional awareness out of sight of the surface. (In a microlight, even the compass normally hasn't been swung.)
You can make a case about anti/de-icing but in reality that could be made about most Cessnas and Pipers that can quite legitimately be flown in IMC.
G