Americans tend to mean IMC flight when they speak of IFR flight. They mostly don’t know about the European style “always fly IFR, to be done with all the hassle of VFR”. They tend to canel IFR as soon as they break out…
That is a good risk barometer, some integrated flight schools require a student to compile a checklist of this nature which is reviewed by the FI. The go/no go is escalated depending on the risk score, including the FI having to escalate to the Duty Pilot or Head of Training above certain scores.
Flight Safety Organisation has been recommending risk scoring in their ALAR project for reducing approach and landing accidents.
https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Flight_Safety_Foundation_ALAR_Toolkit
I was glad to see COPA recommend an accelerate stop calculation even for a SEP.
MMOPA has released a similar tool this year, in the form of a (free) iOS app which can be used for any type. It has the disadvantage of covering very different airplanes, from the non-pressurised Matrix to the M600. Look up MMOPA FRAT.
I find that one I linked a bit simplistic in places. For example the “must get there” option is obviously going to kill you in the wrong conditions, so you cannot use it as a part of an accumulated score for a threshold-based go/no-go decision.
I also find it somewhat patronising, but it is better than nothing if the realistic alternative is that nothing will be done. A much better way to improve safety is to train pilots to make decisions on technical data.
In the helicopter world we use something similar, known as EHEST. It’s actually quite good.
