"Neil Gould" wrote in message
m...
Recently, Gary Drescher posted:

"Neil Gould" wrote in message
...
For example, a clear, moonless
night is also loggable as IMC, and goes all the way to the ground.
;-)

Well, it can be loggable as instrument time, but not as IMC--a clear,
moonless night is definitely not IMC.

If you spend any time over a large body of water or undeveloped landscape
on a moonless night, you may arrive at a different opinion about that.
I've done both, and they're definitely IMC.

It's just a matter of terminology. Yes, you're describing conditions that
require flying by instruments; and yes, the time spent in such conditions is
loggable as instrument time. But IMC has a specific meaning under the FARs.
It refers to visibility conditions that are less than the specified minimums
for Visual Flight Rules. If the conditions you describe were really IMC,
then you'd have to be instrument rated and under IFR to fly in those
conditions. But in fact, there's no such requirement, because those
conditions are not IMC.

Remember, VMC and IMC are defined primarily for purposes of *separation*
rather than aviation or navigation. On a clear, moonless night, you can see
other (properly lit) aircraft without difficulty, so there's no problem
maintaining visual separation. You may still need instruments to keep the
plane right side up, but that's a different matter.

--Gary