On Monday, March 2, 2020 at 12:30:13 PM UTC-5, wrote:
The problem is that pilots frequently find themselves in IMC by accident.

Hmmm. I must be doing something wrong. Or right. I've been flying since 1965 and never found myself in IMC by accident. I agree pilots going up closer than 500' to cloudbase is an issue, but that practice certainly won't be eliminated by allowing attitude indicators.

I also agree there are times when another few hundred feet in a cloud could prove to be an advantage, because I've seen it. I was a young kid so I didn't make waves but it made the difference between that offender making it home that day and three guys landing 1 mile short. I would handle it differently now. Making that practice safer with an attitude indicator won't make it any more legal or sportsmanlike.

I also understand the desire to have a backup instrument when wave flying, because I've been on top watching the window shrinking and had to come down quickly. That's part of flying.

If the problem is that we aren't enforcing the rule, then we can fix that. If you show up at a contest with an instrument that has an attitude indicator, you should be required to provide evidence it's disabled each day. Yeah, it's a bother. We had to do something similar when Stealth mode was mandated for FLARM in the Elmira Nationals (15M & Std.) a few years ago. We all understood the rule and complied.

As it happens, I don't have an instrument with an attitude indicator (AFAIK). I don't want to feel like I have to go out and buy one just to stay competitive.

Chip Bearden
JB