Originally Posted by
tartare
...Hadn't considered the obvious that a safe hover in IMC regardless of performance and all up weight would be very difficult and dangerous...
No such thing as a safe hover in IMC. Even IFR helicopters with an auto-hover system bolted on to a 4-axis AFCS is not for hovering in IMC. And IFR helicopters have a minimum speed for IMC limitation in the RFM, typically about 50 knots. Hovering is a visual manoeuvre, usually done with reference to the ground.