Although in my career I have had my fair share of black night IMC, I tips me lid to the RFDS pilots who have surely the most demanding flying job in the industry. The Police Air Wing helicopter pilots do a similar job and magnificently at that.
What has always concerned me, particularly after the RFDS crash at Mt Gambier, is why the RFDS management continue to crew their aircraft as single pilot when, as some of the respondents to this thread have shown, the RFDS fly into some terrifying conditions at night to help the community.
The aircraft they fly may well be single pilot certified, but the environment in which they operate would surely dictate that they be crewed by two pilots for safety reasons.
The corporations and mining companies that charter turbo-props to carry their staff, usually insist ccontractually on a two pilot crew because accident statistics indicate that a two pilot crew is safer than single pilot under IFR. Perhaps that is why the RFDS set 250 hours I/F as a starting point for new pilots into the job.
If, as some have suggested here, that regardless of claimed hours, the simulator check will sort out the faked I/F hours from the real I/F hours, then what is the point of setting 250 hours instrument time as a recruitment requirement?
Some fine pilots may be missing out on a job with the RFDS because of this arbitary 250 hours requirement. Drop it if you like to (say) a 100 hours I/F and open up the field. The sim check will still sort the men from the boys, regardless of claimed I/F hours.