212man - what visual references are you using in the dark from a rig? If you are very lucky you might have enough starlight and moonlight to have the glimmer of a horizon but more often than not you won't.
If you are using the AI/AH/PFD for assessing the aircraft attitude, you are flying on instruments (below Vmini) not flying visually.
If you are using the rig as a visual reference in the vertical climb until rotation point, you are still transferring to instruments below Vmini after that point.