PPL/IR Europe has published two papers of interest to instrument pilots. One is a 
position paper on the UK IMC rating, which PPL/IR strongly supports. PPL/IR is engaging with both the UK CAA and with EASA on the future of the IMC rating, and one possible successor, EASA’s Basic Instrument Rating (BIR). The other is the result of a survey of holders of the IMC rating. The survey demonstrates that the IMC rating is a valuable development step for pilots, and greatly increases the utility of a PPL when dealing with the vagaries of British weather. There is a wide variation in how the IMC rating is used, from occasional use to transit en route IMC, to deliberate departure and arrival in IMC conditions.