"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:XNvjf.611926$xm3.441724@attbi_s21...
Having worked for a medevac operator where most of the helicopters were
VFR only, my guess is this - they don't fly in IMC, let alone IMC with
the possibility of icing.

Of course, what's their definition of "IMC"?

Don't helicopters have a lower threshold for IMC than we fixed wing folks?

Yes. See FAR 91.155 and 91.157. For all practical purposes, helicopters
can fly in arbitrarily low visibility. 91.155 grants them this right in
Class G airspace, and 91.157 grants them this right elsewhere (with a
Special VFR clearance).

Since a pilot can get a Special VFR clearance pretty much anywhere that
there *isn't* Class G airspace near the surface (generally below 700 or 1200
feet, depending), this means that as long as the helicopter pilot can see
well enough to avoid obstacles, the visibility is defined as being
sufficient, no matter how low it actually is.

Pete