VMC
Olive Oyl
You've got me thinking again now
Am I right in thinking that the 1500 metres, 1000 ft and 5kms applies to aircraft above cloud and Clear of cloud/In Sight of the Ground to aircraft below cloud. If so, that is why I suggested that the former was not relevant in this case. I do take your point about flight above 140 knots (is that IAS or GS?)
The MOD reply to the MOKG report states that the limits for a helicopter above 140 knots is 1500 metres clear of cloud laterally, a 500' cloud-base as opposed to the 1000' vertically clear of cloud you mention(indicating below cloud) and 5kms vis,
Now Chinook240 mentions cloudbase figures of 100', 250' and 500' for various circumstances
I would be very hesitant to claim that I knew which figures were relevant in this case
As regards SF minima, again I'm way out of touch but I do know that, for example, the Westland Longbow Apache, is capable of flight in next to nothing and assumed that crews must be allowed to train in such conditions.