Then one day, years later when your instrument skills are only a pleasant memory, the forecast for VFR weather goes wrong and you're in the soup. Now, consider tuning the radios, talking to air traffic controllers, reading a chart, and determining VOR radials, while keeping the airplane under control. The instructor won't be there, and your instrument skills will be taxed well beyond any remaining from student pilot training. You need not only to be good on instruments, but to be so good that there is brain power left over for navigation and communication. Hopefully, you will recognize weather problems early and will make a decent, if not perfect, 180-degree turn before having to prove that your skills are still sharp.
Statistics tell a different story, however.
Attempting to continue VFR flight in deteriorating weather, especially at night, remains a leading cause of accidents. Here are some tips for countering the problem. You knew that it was only practice and that it was in a low-threat environment. Your emergency, should you decide to fly in poor VFR conditions, will occur in a high-threat environment. That is why he presents students with one or two simulated emergencies while they are practicing under the hood.