A PAR approach is not that easy to fly unless one has practiced regularly - unless you are descending to a very generous MDH like 500ft, which one can frankly do with a handheld in an emergency, having picked an airport with no real obstacles around it
Peter
I have posted this in the past in pprune. I flew as a safety pilot in a Seneca over 10 years ago.
I was late and found out that the aircraft had been misfuelled. The guages were faulty and tryin g to sort out the fuel the crossfeed selector jammed.
Half way across the irish Sea another problem.
ATC advised that airports in a large area had gone down in unforecast fog.
After one missed approach into the destination airport and unsure of the fuel state I made a call to a military base.
Colour code red I explained the situation and was vectored for a PAR.
Passing 200 feet the controllers intesified their commands after the usual "if not visual" thing! until the lights appeared from the gloom and we landed.
On landing the Cloud was sitting on the hangar roofs at RAF Shawbury prob 40 to 50 feet max.
So maybe not quite armchair and NO Sky God
A PAR with the right controllers can literally talk you to the ground as long as you do not loose the plot.
Handheld that would be pushing it
Pace