CORRECT!

There are visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR). Both are specifically defined by regulation and, unless the pilot holds an instrument rating and maintains instrument currency and his aircraft has been inspected and signed off for instrument flight, that pilot is restricted to visual meteorological conditions (VMC), the paramaters of which (cloud and visibility requirements, etc.) are also specifically spelled out in regs.

But, some pilots seem to find the need to ignore the regs. Common wisdom has it that the non-instrument-trained pilot has something 3 minutes to live once aircraft control begins to deteriorate as the result of entering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Spatial disorientation leads to ineffective aircraft control which ultimately leads to very bad things.

I was talking to a local pilot who was a very experienced home-builder, having built 4 kit planes and was working on his 5th. He told me that he would be interested in instrument training because he routinely finds himself flying over solid undercasts and he usually would file IFR to continue these kinds of flights. This in an aircraft that was all glass with no 'steam guage' backups, no IFR cert and no instrument rating for the pilot! What was he thinking? I gave him my best advice that he should in no way whatsoever place himself anywhere near clouds with his equipment (and his attitude!) and he should definitely make sure that his aircraft was properly equipped and he should definitely pursue instrument training. I haven't heard back from him...(I hope that the next time I hear about him is not in an NTSB accident report, but I suspect it might be).