An Instrument Rating is arguably one of the most valuable ratings you can add to your pilot certificates. The process of obtaining an Instrument Rating is challenging and a great discipline of flight training. As the name implies, an Instrument Rating is earned through extensive training focused on flying solely by reference to instruments. In this article we talk about why you should consider an Instrument Rating, what you can do with it, and the step-by-step process to getting it.
The training obtained while pursuing an Instrument Rating is quite often a pilot’s first look into how the National Aerospace System, radar, and air traffic control work. An Instrument Rating allows you to safely (and legally) fly through clouds. A skilled instrument pilot possesses the ability to fly from one place to another without ever having to look out the window, except for takeoff and landing. Professional aviation would not be possible without this capability, and these skills are fundamental to safe flying.
There’s a lot to learn for this rating, but study hard. It will save your life almost every time you fly. Half of weather-related accidents involved attempts to continue to fly under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). An Instrument Rating will allow you to safely fly, even when conditions get bad.
What does IFR mean?
IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules. Without an Instrument Rating, pilots cannot fly under IFR and are limited to Visual Flight Rules (VFR) mode of flight. Instrument Flight Rules essentially means:
- Regulatory cloud clearances don’t apply (i.e. you can fly in the clouds)
- You can evaluate weather conditions and fly an Instrument Flight
- You can efficiently move through differing airspace
Why should I get my Instrument Rating?
There are many reasons you should consider getting your Instrument Rating, including but not limited to:
- Safety: You may never intend to fly in the clouds or in inclement weather, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get your Instrument Rating. You never know what is going to happen during a flight. The Instrument Rating provides an extra layer of security in case things go sideways. This rating will help you understand more about weather, how it impacts flight, and how to fly in difficult weather situations!
- Flight Instruction: If you have plans to pursue life as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), you will need to possess your Instrument Rating.
- Flying as a Commercial Airline Pilot: Though it is possible to obtain your Commercial Pilot Certificate without an Instrument Rating, not having one will significantly limit the number of jobs available to you. CFR 61.133 specifically says that the carriage of passengers for hire on cross-country flights in excess of 50 nautical miles and at night are prohibited for commercial airplane pilots without an instrument rating in the same category.
Requirements for an Instrument Rating
The FAA specifies a list of requirements you must meet to pursue your Instrument Rating:
- Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language
- Hold at least a Private Pilot Certificate or apply for a Private Pilot Certificate along with your Instrument Rating
- For more information on how to become a private pilot, read this article
- Receive a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor who conducted ground school with you, or verified your knowledge level after using a self-study course
- Pass a written examination with a score of at least 70%
- Log specified flight hours while practicing instrument flying skills (we will expand on this later in the article)
- Pass a check ride consisting of oral and flying examinations
You can find the official list of requirements in 14 CFR 61.65.
Selecting Your Flight School
Considerations
There are many factors to consider when selecting your flight school. Believe it or not, it’s not all about time and money. Here are 5 of the most important factors to consider when choosing your flight school.
- Aircrafts & instructors available for school
- You should consider the number of aircraft and instructors available at each flight school. This gives you a backup plan if an instructor leaves or an aircraft is grounded for maintenance.
- Maintenance and safety
- You shouldn’t select an inexpensive option at the expense of safety! I highly recommend visiting prospective flight schools. While you’re there, speak with instructors and students, take an introductory flight, and check out the operation.
- Location, location, location
- If possible, choose a flight school that is close to home if you’re not training full-time in an accelerated program. The further the flight school, the more excuse to push off your training. If you are looking at accredited or collegiate programs, moving to their location, at least temporarily is a good idea.
- Cost of training
- While money isn’t everything, flight training costs can add-up quickly. Before committing to anything, compare the costs of different training providers and look into other sources of funding. Fortunately, Pilot Pipeline offers a Scholarship Finder to its Premium members. This tool allows you to sort and filter through over $25 million worth of scholarships based on demographics, ratings, organization, and more. If you are interested in learning more about other financing options, read this article.
- Time to complete training
- Time is everyone’s most valuable asset. Before committing to training, consider the potential different paths you can take to achieve your aviation goals, and evaluate what makes the most sense for you based on your current priorities. To learn more about the different types of training providers, read this article.
Helpful Resources for Flight School Selection
The Pilot Pipeline Flight School Finder is a great tool to help you search for flight schools and make an informed decision. This tool allows you to sort through schools based on rating, location, military needs, and much more.
Feeling confused on your next steps? Sign up for a free 1-on-1 consulting session to discuss your goals and formulate a forward-looking strategy.
Time and Cost of Earning Your Instrument Rating
Obtaining your Instrument Rating should take around 10 weeks, give or take a few weeks. On average, Part 141 students complete their training sooner than Part 61 students due to the structured syllabus of Part 141 schools. However, you can quickly obtain your certificate at a Part 61 school if you are extremely dedicated to your training. It is important to note that the time to complete the program is largely in your hands if you are flying Part 61. If you take the training seriously and show up constantly, you can complete your training in 2 months or less. On the other hand, it can take up to 4 months if you procrastinate and fly infrequently.
An Instrument Rating can be expensive, but it is definitely worth the cost if you are serious about flying. There is an important tradeoff between speed and cost when it comes to flight training. If you go with an accelerated program, you will pay more but finish your training sooner. The opposite holds true for Part 61 or part-time training.
All things considered, you should be prepared to spend between $10,000 and $15,000 for your training. There are a few other cost factors that you should consider: logbook, headset, electronic flight bag (EFB), and exam costs. If you attend a Part 141 school, examination fees are usually included in the cost, however, under Part 61, expect to pay between $500 and $1,200 for the practical exam with the FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE).
The price is starting to add up, I know. Luckily, there are plenty of financing options available to you. Sign up for a Premium Pilot Pipeline account for access to over $25 million in aviation scholarships or read this article to learn about different financing options.
Taking the FAA Written Exam
Some schools will require you to take the exam before flying and others will not. Either way, it is best to get it out of the way early. Flying is much easier when you have foundational knowledge and the time to focus on what your instructor is teaching you.
The FAA Instrument Rating Written Exam is a 60 question multiple choice test that you must take at an approved testing center (find one here). Your flight instructor must endorse your logbook recommending you for the test. A passing score is 70% – if you fail, you must review the missed questions with your instructor who will then re-endorse your logbook and recommend you for a retake. Your test results will be good for 24 months. Please remember to keep the initial paper test results, which can be expensive and difficult to replace.
Before taking your exam, we strongly recommend you to use Sheppard Air’s study course.
Flight Training – The Fun Part!
You are finally ready to begin the fun part – your flight training! Before you can take your practical exam (checkride), the FAA requires you to meet certain criteria:
- 50 hours of cross-country flying as pilot in command (PIC). At least 10 of these must be in an airplane (looking at you Rotor Transition Folks):
- At a minimum, you should have logged 5 hours of cross-country PIC time while pursuing your Private Pilot License.
- The relatively new combined Private Pilot and Instrument Rating reduces the cross-country requirement to 45 hours while performing PIC duties with a flight instructor on board.
- 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument flying:
- At least 15 of these hours must be with a properly-rated flight instructor. Don’t forget that since you’re already rated in the aircraft, you can log PIC time while you are the sole manipulator of the controls. Unfortunately, according to 14 CFR 61.3(e), you can’t act as the PIC (i.e. log the entire flight) on IFR Flights until you are instrument rated.
- During your Private Pilot License training you were required to receive 3 hours on simulated instrument flying, so really only 37 more to go!
- Up to 20 of your instrument flying hours may be logged in certain FAA-approved flight simulators or flight training devices
- At least one cross-country flight with an instructor. This flight must:
- Be at least 250 nautical miles long.
- Include an instrument approach at any airport you visit.
- Include at least 3 different kinds of instrument approaches.
- 3 hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor in an airplane that is appropriate to the instrument-airplane rating within 2 calendar months of your practical exam.
Additional Requirements & Tips
This list only requires a flight instructor for part of your preparation. Once you’ve learned the basics, you can practice on your own. Cross country flight time can be obtained by taking trips with your friends or family. To practice instrument flying on your own, you need to bring along a safety pilot. The FAA regulations allow your safety pilot to also log PIC time while you’re using a vision restricting device. You may be able to use this rule to share the cost of your flying with another aspiring pilot.
I am sure that this looks like a lot of stressful flying, but it is not. This is the best part of the process and you’ll be upset when it’s over and time for your checkride.
Passing Your FAA Checkride
When the time for your checkride comes, you’ll fly with a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE). The FAA publishes a document called the Airman Certifications Standards (ACS) that specifies exactly what you’ll be tested on during your checkride. I recommend that you download a copy and take notes as you prepare for your checkride. (PDF | Paperback)
On the day of your checkride, you’ll start with an oral exam to test your knowledge. Then, you will move to your practical (flying) exam. During this, expect to perform:
- Unusual altitude recoveries
- Holding, precision, and non-precision instrument approaches
- A circling approach
- A missed approach
- An approach using backup instruments
During the checkride, you will be acting as the pilot in command (PIC). The examiner cannot offer assistance or direction. Checkrides can be stressful, but they are truly nothing to worry about. You trained and studied hard for this moment. Just keep your focus, stay calm, and fly the way you learned! At the conclusion of a successful checkride, the DPE will issue you a temporary pilot certificate. Congratulations!
Check out our Master Index of Study Materials to find reference materials you need to successfully prepare for the practical exam for any FAA pilot rating. Additionally, read this article to learn how you can ace any checkride in your future.
Wrapping Up
Obtaining your Instrument Rating can be a challenging process. However, the reward far outweighs the stress. After completion of this rating, you will be able to fly in the clouds and on days when the weather isn’t perfect. You will also be able to safely recover the aircraft if you inadvertabtly go into IMC. If you are pursuing a job as a pilot, this is a necessary step in your journey. The completion of your Instrument Rating means you are ready to take on a new challenge and you are one step closer to your dream job.
Please remember to stay focused, remain calm, and fly safely. But most importantly, enjoy the process and have fun! Good luck!
Career Guidance and Planning
If you are looking to pursue your Instrument Rating or manage your career and navigate the process of becoming a pilot, check out Pilot Pipeline. The software uses your current experience and end-goal to curate a custom pathway that will guide you through the process. The best part? It’s completely free! Sign up for a free account or commit to a Premium account that will grant you access to the Timeline Assistant and Scholarship Finder.
If you ever feel that you need further guidance from someone with a great deal of experience, check out Pilot Pipeline Consulting. Services range from General Career Guidance to Application Review and Interview Preparation. Set up a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your goals and develop a strategy moving forward.
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