27/09, your posts makes my point that you are talking a very different set of rules, here I can launch off IFR without a flight plan, outside CAS there is often radar assistance from various providers, they may not give you radar CONTROL, but they will give traffic info and confirm your position, whilst we do not have the terrain problems you have in NZ (highest ground here is about 3,600') I would have thought even there you should know what your position is near enough to be able to know what your MSA is, heck, I could do THAT with just DR nav!!
I think one reason Pace picked the route he did is because there is no CAS, including airways, below 10,000' and it goes over high ground including very close to mount Snowdon which is the highest terrain in the UK! Edited to add - highest in the UK outside of Scotland!
Last edited by foxmoth; 6th Feb 2017 at 13:34.