"Larry Fransson" wrote in message
news:2003120623064950073%lfransson@comcastnet...
On 2003-12-06 15:18:19 -0800, "Phil McAverty" said:

Just wondering whether IR checkrides can be carried out in real IMC.

Unless something has changed recently, yes they can. But in general,
it's probably not going to happen.

A friend of mine used to be an examiner. She told me that examiners
are officially encouraged not to give checkrides in IMC. She went against
that advice and an applicant show her just how messed up he could get.
She decided not to do checkrides in IMC after that.

That seems to be the best reason of all for doing checkrides in IMC. Seems
to be a dumb policy to do a checkride in VMC and then letting them go off
into IMC.

I have a UK IMC rating which involves 15 hours of Instrument training. I
hardly use it except to do a bit of VMC on top.

The best thing I ever got out of the training was that

a) 15 hours training showed me how little ability I really had and how
deadly the IMC environment was,

b) There is a world of difference between passing the checkride and using
the rating.

I fly for fun not to scare the s**t out of myself so flying in IMC falls
into the "not fun" end of the spectrum.

IMC in uncontrolled airspace is another drawback and with class A airspace
here beginning at surface level in some places (EGLL) and other class A at
FL35 it is hard to fly on top. Admitted in UK there is no land higher than
4000 feet but we are all compressed into a narrow band, not much bigger than
Florida.


I could get to enjoy IMC flying but I would need to be doing it most of the
time; and to do that means being paid to do it. But then when there are
schedules to keep etc I suppose it become like many jobs, a bit of a grind.

The irony is that a FAA/IR will qualify for a UK IMC rating with only
limited privileges in controlled airspace (class D only). The FAA/IR pilot
can file IFR and fly in class A in the UK if the aircraft is US registered
but not if the aircraft is UK registered.

It was only until recently that ua US IR pilot had to do 55 hours training
to convert to a UK IR