Flight Training

Your IFR Ticket An instrument rating makes every pilot a more knowledgeable, safer pilot. Instrument rated pilots will also be equipped with the aeronautical decision skills to stop and think before you get into a situation where you need to use your instrument flying skills. Attempting VFR flight in IMC is one of the most consistently deadly decisions or mistakes in all of aviation.  History has shown us that weather-related general aviation accidents are often fatal. When pilots cannot see the horizon, spatial disorientation can onset rapidly. When John F. Kennedy, Jr. crashed his Piper Saratoga into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, on July 16, 1999, he did not have an instrument rating. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that Kennedy’s failure to maintain control of the airplane was the result of spatial disorientation, with haze and the dark night being factors.  There really is no downside to getting an instrument rating – just the money and time spent to get it. However, if you are pursuing any career in aviation, an instrument rating is a necessary milestone. If you will be regularly renting an aircraft, or plan to purchase one, you will most likely enjoy lowered insurance rates once you get an instrument rating.  What You Can Do With An Instrument Rating An instrument rating will allow you to legally fly without the visual reference of the ground or a horizon. In other words, you’ll be able to fly from Point A to Point B without ever looking out your window (except for your take-off and touch-down). You will learn to stay ahead of the aircraft while managing tasks like changing radio frequencies, programming navigation equipment, and briefing and flying approaches, all while continually scanning your instrument panel.  Flight Training Requirements for Instrument Rating  Before you can take an instrument rating checkride, you must meet certain requirements and have logged certain training. One of the first questions that may come up on your instrument rating checkride may be about flight training requirements. The examiner will want to know that you met the requirements and that you understand them. IFR rating requirements can be found in 14 CFR § 61.65 §. To summarize, to apply for an instrument rating, you must:  (1) Already have a private pilot certificate, or be concurrently applying for a private pilot certificate with your instrument rating.  (2) Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language.  (3) Complete and log ground training with an authorized instructor – Instrument Ground Instructor (IGI) or Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument (CFII) – or accomplish a ground school home study course.  (4) Have a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor (IGI or CFII) certifying that you are prepared to take the knowledge test (5) Receive and log required training in an aircraft, full flight simulator, or flight training device, including:  50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command Forty hours of actual or simulated instrument time, including 15 hours must have been received from an authorized instructor  Three hours of instrument flight training within two calendar months before the check ride  A cross country flight of 250 nautical miles, that includes an instrument approach at each airport, and three different kinds of approaches (for example, VOR, ILS, GPS)  (6) Receive a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor certifying that you are prepared to take the required practical test; (7) Pass the knowledge test (unless you already have an instrument rating in another category (helicopter or powered-lift)  (8) Pass the required practical test.  Which is Harder: Private Pilot Certificate or Instrument Rating? Talk to a few veteran instructors, airline, or corporate pilots, and some will tell you getting their instrument rating was the hardest part of their flight training. Others will tell you it was the easiest. Instrument flying takes a unique set of skills, including multitasking, problem-solving, and time management. Pilots must be able to make decisions quickly and with confidence. Some people adapt and learn instrument flying skills more easily than others.   Instrument flying is more about intellectual skills and systems management, VFR flying is more about the kinesthetic skill of flying the plane. Instrument Rating Ground School  Instrument Rating ground school will get you ready for flight training and help you understand the tools and equipment you will be using to plan your flights and actually fly:  Approach Plates: These are official procedures for transitioning from a flight to land at an airport when operating a flight under instrument flight rules (IFR). they may include things such as airport lighting to look for, headings to fly, equipment to use, and speeds, and depict topographic features, hazards, and obstructions. Ground school will help you learn how to read and review approach plates.  Departures & Arrival Procedures: Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) and Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs) are published. Part of a clearance may include a SID or a STAR, and pilots must be comfortable finding, briefing, and flying them.  En Route Charts: After you spent so much time learning VFR sectional charts for your private pilot checkride, you will now be tasked with learning, understanding, and explaining IFR en route charts. These charts depict point-to-point distances on the airway system and altitudes like minimum en route altitude (MEA), minimum obstruction clearance altitude (MOCA), and minimum crossing altitude (MCA).  Tip: IFR En-route charts are revised every 56 days, so make sure yours are current.  Flight Instruments: You will learn the specific instruments your aircraft must have to be IFR legal (91.205 (d)), and how they work. You’ll also learn what to do if one of several of them fail in flight.  Flight Planning: You will learn the considerations you’ll make for IFR flight, such as selecting altitudes, and how you’ll determine if the weather will be good for your flight. You will also learn about AIRMETS (Zulu=Icing, Tango=Turbulence, and Sierra=Mountain Obscuration). You’ll learn about SIGMETS (convective and non-convective) and how things like dust storms and volcanic ash can be extremely dangerous.