To SilsoeSid regarding simulated instrument--helicopters being dynamically unstable make the associated autopilot systems very expensive, and none of the three primary helicopters used for flight training (Robinsons R22, R44, and Schweizer) are FAA approved for IFR flight. None of my "simulated instrument" time was in a simulator but rather was simulated in that I was wearing a hood and simulating IFR flight by not using outside visual references. You can still get vestibular illusions and the first time you fly at night you notice it's much harder. Also, I spoke to a pilot who did some real IFR flight in a helicopter for a few hours and he told me, despite being a very experienced pilot, that the vestibular illusions were so severe it was unnerving.
Thanks Colin. I think it's just the way that it seems strange to me that to be able to instruct IF, one doesn't have to have ever been IMC. I take it that you mean that the aircraft types aren't approved for IMC flight, as night flying is usually IFR?
Maybe it's just me, but actual conditons are a totally different ball game than flying under the hood, whether it's an unstabalised Gazelle or a kitted out EC135.