"Neil Gould" wrote in message
. ..
I think that Peter Duniho's response casts doubt on your perspective. The
way I see it, "I" and "V" indicate the mode used for control of the
aircraft; "MC" describes the conditions which require a particular mode of
control.

Well, I did say the distinction was *primarily* a matter of separation. Pete
correctly points out some other aspects of the distinction.

But regardless of what motivates the distinction, the point remains that a
clear, moonless night over the wilderness does not qualify as IMC (even
though the conditions require the use of instruments to keep the plane
upright), because flying in IMC, by definition, requires being under
Instrument Flight Rules and having a (current) instrument rating; whereas
flying over the wilderness on a clear, moonless night can be done under
Visual Flight Rules.

From the AIM Pilot/Controller Glossary:
"Instrument Meteorological Conditions- Meteorological conditions expressed
in terms of visibility, distance from cloud, and ceiling less than the
minima specified for visual meteorological conditions."

The conditions you describe have visibility of many miles, no clouds, and no
ceiling; those are, by definition, Visual Meteorological Conditions, even if
everything is pitch black, with no visible horizon. (Night visibility is
defined in terms of the distance from which a prominent lighted object would
be seen.)

--Gary