You have a PPL. Would you now attempt to fly in conditions that you can't
handle, or attempt maneuvers that you or the plane are not qualified for?

Get the IR, respect the weather, and enjoy a marginal amount more freedom
than you do now. If you are silly enough to take off into freezing rain just
because you have an IR, it is not the IR that is killing you.

By the way, this guy must have had a terrible mechanic - nine engine
failures!

Michael




"Paul Folbrecht" wrote in message
ink.net...
I had always planned on getting my instrument rating- within the next
year, probably. But last weekend I had a chat with someone who really
got me thinking about it.

This guy is a friend of a friend and is a retired 20,000 hour ATP.
Retired in the 80s flying 707s and I forget what else. Instructed in
Cubs for years. (Guy has nine count 'em nine engine failures in Cubs!
Two inside 20 minutes once!)

So, this is what he told me: unless I'm going to be flying 3 times/week
at least, getting my instrument ticket is a waste and possibly dangerous
as well. He thinks I'll be more likely to end up dead with it than
without it. (Logic being, obviously, that the ticket will give me such
a sense of security that I won't be afraid of hard IMC even when I'm not
current enough to handle it.)

Thoughts on this??