IFR lite

It's less than a year since I finally finished my Private Pilot, but I'm already thinking Instrument Rating.

My plane is IFR equipped, although a biennial transponder check for IFR is needed. But it's a just barely equipped situation. My '63 Cherokee actually has a Loran system. I've got two nav/com's and a VOR/Glideslope display, but one of the nav/com's really needs the antenna wire checked out or the whole radio replaced for preference. If I'm replacing the radio, should I spring for a Garmin 430W which includes a radio with a GPS I can use for IFR? If I'm looking at a big ticket item like the 430, should I be thinking about some kind of aircraft upgrade*?

Here's my issue with the IFR rating itself. There are a lot of things they teach you for IFR that I have no interest in doing. Don't get me wrong, they are valuable skills, but I sincerely hope I never have to make a landing to minimums or even come close to decision height without seeing the runway. It's a given that you will be flying low and slow -- so limited maneuverability -- in conditions of poor visibility ... no thanks!

And I get that if you're flying cargo or passengers for a charter or airline, this level of expertise is needed; however, a lot of us (or at least me) will just decide this is not when we should go flying.

I think there is a big niche for something I propose as Private IFR. You would still get training in how to read IFR charts, perform a missed approach, use instruments to avoid becoming disoriented, but all take offs and landings require the ceiling to be at least 500' above pattern altitude and you only transition** through clouds to reach another VFR condition area while in two-way radio contact with ATC and on their scopes.

If we arbitrarily divide weather conditions from 1 (CAVU) to 10 (ATP's stay on the ground), VFR covers 1-3, then IFR covers down to 7, then you reserve 8 and 9 for known icing and other extreme hazards requiring special gear to fly safely. I want Private IFR to cover 4 and 5. If you never trained in conditions worse than 5 and you fly occasional IFR but avoid 6 and 7, having an IFR cert that covers those situations is just a temptation to folly.

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* - Links: Velocity, Piper Comanche, Van's RV-10

** - Let's say a max of 5000' vertically or 5 miles horizontally.