Why do you need an AH to actually fly VFR?
Judging from what the lady told the media about her cross-country (literally) flight England to Australia, she was in IMC for some of the way. She might have planned VFR but it would have been a meteorological miracle if she was VMC all the way. The moment you lose a visual horizon whether for two minutes or two hours and you don't have an AH, then for most VFR pilots it's all over Red Rover.
Very few GA pilots can be bothered to assiduously practice flying in a simulator just using the Turn and Balance Indicator. Reason being they would crash too many times and look real silly. For same reason why airline pilots rarely fly without having their flight director on. It is too scary to switch it off.