Thus a typical UK flight would be depart Compton Abbas, climb to 2300ft (min IFR level) + in VMC VFR. Then request IFR Airways join at SAM FL60 (by this time VMC on top) and route Airways to the CI CTR entry where at an appropriate time the aircraft can descend IFR to the minimum level and when VMC cancel IFR and proceed (in this case) Special VFR to the appropriate VRP.
Hence my point - pilots descending outside of CAS and probably with no radar cover to break cloud at some height of which they have no certainty (the best they can do is assume the base will be the same as the nearest METAR or ATIS) unless of course they only fly when their departure and arrival are CAVOK - not many of those days around these parts I am afraid, but it should be OK UK to the South of France. I am looking forward to the hords of pilots doing that trip.
Sorry, but it is not going to happen, hence my earlier comment - simply a solution looking for a problem that doesnt exist!
The real problem is pilots want to fly form Lydd to Bournemeouth (well maybe not Bournemouth but since it was part of our earlier discussion) for a bacon buttie or to meet up with their mates - they want to fly when there is cloud between 1,500 and 3,000 and they want a nice an easy approach at each end with a cloud break a comfortable way above the deck. They dont mind too much if there is no formal approach in the ATZ as long as they can tell all and sundry they are overhead and descending through IMC for a visual circuit, but they would prefer some sort of IAP. They know it is not for now, but they think the Authorities will be looking to the future becasue they have heard of GPS and even EGNOS, to the day when every grass patch can have its own GPS letdown that will safely guide them to 800 feet for a visual approach. Ideally they want to cruise along in the sunshine above a messy cloud layer that so often characterises these shores but is otherwise pleasantly benign and not the sort of stuff you really want to be beneath. I reckon there are a few pilots who want the same thing in Northern France - but who knows, that is another story. It is not rocket science. If they get that in some form which doesnt involve them spending three weeks at Oxford learning stuff they already know or dont need to know then I guess they will be happy.
Some of them have been doing this stuff for years. They arent going to be too happy when they are suddenly told they cant - well they cant without spending a significant sum of money. Some, maybe a lot, will just keep on doing it with descents outside CAS or the ATZ. Some, maybe quite a few, will give up. I suspect a few, a very few will toddle off to Oxford. It saddens me we encourage people into illegality, or to give up, or to do something unsafe because it is the only option, or to spend more money to do somehting they are already doing safely - that is the only reason I write about it. 5 of my mates all have IMC, they all use the IMC as I have described, none of them want to do an IR, not least becasue they really havent the time or inclination. Are these 5 the exception or do we all know a pilot or two in this baot?
Seems to me that is definitely not what they will get with the EIR.