PIFR or P(O)IR
 

To those instructors from the land of oz, has this rating got industry support? No one seems to be talking about it other than AOPA.

A very respected school in Western Australia apparently isn't going to touch it.

For us in the UK - what's it all about?

It's a Private En-route IFR rating... basically, you get yourself a perfectly serviceable IR and take all the discrete parts of it (en-route, holding, approaches etc) and do them as individual units.

For example, someone could hold the en-route part of the rating with NO approaches endorsed on their license, and without knowing how to hold...

As you go, you can add bits in (i.e. NDB approach, VOR approach, and so on) to build up to the full IR capability - each type of approach is a seperate endorsement.

Without an approach endorsed, the Wx has to be route LSALT plus 500 on the last segment. Basic "holding" apparently uses procedure turns off a navaid, or somesuch.

Not sure of any recency requirements, but currency is subject to a biennial check flight. The idea is that Joe Bloggs, PPL, can hold a rating to fly VFR at departure and destination, but IFR between, to stop him from scudrunning in poor Wx... unfortunate if the weatherguesser gets it wrong, though...

There was discussion on the foolishness of all this in Dunnunda and Godzone forum but I can't find the thread (albeit with a brief search), but look on the CASA website for details/dowloads.

As far as i know, no recency rules apply. so in actual fact, a PIFR holder can eventually have the same priviledges as those of us with a CIR yet not have the stringent recency requirements which we have to comply with..i dont think id like to share the clouds with some of these guys..!! and yes, many flying schools are refusing to teach this rating, based on that exact argument..

Recency,therein lies the problem I feel.It is recommended only that the same recency rules apply as the CIR.Maybe it should be made mandatory.

Sounds a bit like the UK IMC rating. This allows a rated pilot to fly in IMC conditions and fly instrument approaches, (with higher minima than for IR) outside of controlled airspace. It also allows lower and vis. limits than compared to a plain VFR PPL. Seems to have worked well over here.