Just picking up on one particular point that Pace made. I'd done virtually no flight in real cloud prior to flying for real in cloud, on my own. I found it quite a disturbing experience at first. I am guessing that new IR holders may well hit the same. Presumably however professional licence holders have no choice but to get through that but perhaps many PPLs chicken out, hence leading to the often used (but still inappropriate) "get out of gaol" line ?
G