AVCANADA

a) able to at least call centre and say, "hey I'm turned around give me a hand?" without fear of violation and,

b) skilled enough to just find out the MOCA to fly to an available ILS or RNAV and shoot it to minimums,

This is a Canadian hobby that has more fatalities than every part 7 operator combined.

The most dangerous pilot in the world is one with a basic IFR rating

I'm not saying instrument skills are all you need, I'm saying it's a deficiency that PPLs need, it's a deficiency that's caused a lot of accidents.

An IFR rating for a pilot who doesn't have the right aircraft for the area he flies to keep it current is just a bit of cushion to get you out of a situation you should have never got yourself into in the first place. Same with power, same with STOL kits and bush wheels.

Whatever happened to the no-expiry Instrument Rating that was on discussion here on AvCanada a few years ago?

I hold an ATPL with a current group 1 IFR and have been an instructor for 20 years and teaching the instrument rating for 15 years, and TC tells me that I am not eligible and never will be eligible to become an examiner to renew instrument ratings.

The five hours came about after it was determined that PPL holders just can't stay out of clouds. The above video links would seem to provide ample evidence of this

I don't understand this? There are lots of PEs (Pilot Examiners) around that do IFR flight tests, both initial and renewals. Why would you be excluded?

I understood the five hours was included, as OTT was being introduced in Canada at the time, and despite the best intentions, sometimes a pilot might get caught on top and have to descend...Maybe I am wrong.

When the five hours was introduced, the numbers of PPL holders was starting to increase at a dramatic rate, not to mention an increase of the numbers of aircraft of the performance with essentially the ability to fly longer ranges - and consequently tempt the pilot to push on into worse weather. The numbers of accidents attributable to spatial disorientation from entering clouds increased substantially over a time period. This at least was the story from an old TC person whom has now since retired.

What a load of self-serving bureaucratic crap he served you.

I remember perfectly clearly when the 5 hr hood requirement came in, during the 1980's. It was a typical knee-jerk reaction to an embarrassing incident.

There was an accident when a priest dug a hole in the ice, on a day when Transport forecasted clear and visibility unlimited, and he flew into cloud. Since Transport's forecast couldn't possibly have been wrong, the problem was clearly with all the private pilots, which they fixed with the addition of 5 hrs of hood time to the PPL.