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Having a pilot’s license opens up a world of experiences to you that are not available to non-pilots. You can see the world from above and fly to places that are both near and far in much less time than it takes to drive. There are limits however. A major one is that you must be able to see the horizon to tell which way is up in order to control the airplane, and see far enough ahead that you can avoid obstacles and be able to navigate. Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate however, and flight by visual reference to the ground is not possible. This would leave you stuck on the ground unless you have an instrument rating.
The instrument rating allows you to fly in the clouds (although not in bad weather) and is an absolute must for traveling in an airplane on anything approaching a schedule. Earning this rating takes about as much time and money as it does to get your initial private pilot license, but it makes flying on trips much more practical and significantly increases your piloting skills and ability to fly in the National Airspace System. So what exactly does it take to get this rating. Read on!
You must hold at least a private pilot certificate, be able to read, speak, and understand the English language, complete a training course or home study on the knowledge areas required for the rating, pass a knowledge test on those areas, and receive flight training and pass a practical test (flight test) on flying by instruments.
For flight experience, you must have at least 50 hours of cross-country experience (flying between airports that are at least 50nm apart), and a total of at least 40 hours of simulated or actual instrument time, with at least 15 hours of that time being instruction received from an instrument instructor. In addition, you must complete a 250 nm instrument instructional flight with 3 different instrument approaches at different airports. Between 10 and 30 hours of the flight training may be conducted in a simulator or PC-based training device, depending on the type of simulator and how the training is conducted (more on that later).
Note that these are minimums, and that they refer only to "instrument time" which is time logged while wearing a "view limiting device" i.e. an instrument hood (which keeps you from looking outside the airplane) or while flying a simulator. On any instrument flight in an airplane only part of the flight time is instrument time. Time spent during taxi, run-up, takeoff, landing, and to/from the practice area doesn’t count toward that requirement. The ultimate requirement is that you have to be able to pass the flight test and be safe to operate under instrument flight rules in the real world. Typically, pilots who take this training at my home airport (Palo Alto, CA) have between 45 and 65 hours of instrument time, including 10-15 hours in a simulator of some type.
I use a structured approach that is based on the FAA’s old Instrument Flying Handbook. The Handbook included an appendix containing a series of 19 lesson plans on attitude instrument flying. These plans focused on one aspect of instrument flying at a time, building from basic skills in each axis of control to mastery of all skills needed for aircraft control, both with all instruments operating and "partial panel", i.e. with vacuum operated instruments inoperative. This set of lesson plans constitutes the first phase of three I use in teaching instrument flying and takes 10 to 12 hours in an airplane. I prefer to do this in an airplane instead of a simulator as simulators do not include all the nuances of flying an airplane, including force feedback on the controls, sounds, and g-loads.
In the second phase, I move to a PC based simulator (technically a "training device"). We work through each different kind of instrument procedure, from procedure turns, holds and DME arcs to each kind of instrument approach procedure, and finish off by simulating numerous instrument and equipment failures that can’t be easily or realistically simulated in an airplane. I prefer PC-based sims to the older electro-mechanical types available where I teach as the PC sims give me greater control in setting up winds, weather, and failures, and because they have excellent capabilities to play back the student’s maneuvers for study and detailed analysis. Typically we spend 10-12 hours in the simulator.
Finally, we move back to the airplane to fly the procedures in the real world, fully integrating the training with the complexities of real world air traffic control, radio propagation, and unexpected events. When the student is fairly proficient in flying approaches, we’ll fly the instrument cross country. This phase is completed with approach practice until proficiency is at a high enough level to make passing the flight test highly probable. This phase of the training takes about 20-30 hours of instrument training, thus totaling between 40 and 55 hours.
For renting pilots there are many choices and considerations. You might decide to train in the airplane type (or specific airplane) in which you do most of your flying. Cost might be a major consideration, and this would drive aircraft selection. All of the fancy (read, expensive) radios installed in late model aircraft aren’t used at all during the attitude flying lessons, so a less expensive aircraft with modest radios would be more cost effective in this phase. GPS-equipped aircraft tend to be more expensive than those without that system, so you could save some money by taking the initial approach training in a non-GPS aircraft and then moving to the better equipped / more expensive aircraft as your training progresses. If cost is not an object and you desire to fly "glass" i.e. aircraft equipped with computer-screen displays for both flight instruments and navigation, then it might be advisable to take most of the flight training in such an airplane – the more experience you have with these the better. Even so, it’s a good idea to take some of your training in a conventional airplane if you intend to fly one under instrument rules; it can be just as hard to transition from glass to conventional instruments as the other way around.
If you want to transition to high performance (greater than 200 h.p.) or complex (retractable gear) airplanes, it can save you money to do so while taking instrument training. Insurance companies often require 5-25 hours in higher performance aircraft, which is often well more than it takes to learn to fly them. So, if you take a lesson or two in a new type to learn to fly it, you could then fly several instrument lessons in that type to build experience in it. You’d then get that experience for the cost differential between it and your usual type, instead of getting that experience for the full cost of the airplane and instructor. This could save anywhere from 60 to 300 plus dollars per hour in training time.
The final aircraft choice is an individual one. It’s a good idea to discuss these considerations with your instructor before you get very far into your training so that you can make the best decisions for your individual situation.
Simulator selection tends to be more straightforward. Sometimes there may be only one choice due to limited availability (your club or FBO may only have one type). Your instructor may have a strong personal preference and make the choice for you. Where I teach we have several choices, with the main difference being between a PC-based type (a BASIC-ATD running Elite software) and an older conventional sim (the Frasca 131). Some people really dislike using the PC sim and like the feel of electromechanical instruments (they look just like those in an actual airplane). I personally prefer the PC sims as they are inexpensive, easy to use, and allow detailed reviews of student performance. This makes for very effective and efficient training. You might want to try a few types and see what works best for you.
Finally, there’s the very important matter of choosing an instructor. As for the private, one of the most important considerations is personal compatibility. You’ll be spending a lot of time in a little space with this person, and how well you get along makes a big difference in training rate and effectiveness. Beyond that what’s important is the instructor’s knowledge and ability to teach instrument flying. Experience generally correlates to instructional ability, but not always. Some instructors have a lot of experience but don’t teach well in general or not for instrument training in specific. Experience does matter though, so find out how much actual instrument time and instrument instructing time your candidate instructors have.
It can be effective to ask around and talk to instrument rated pilots to see who they think are good instrument instructors. You can and should interview instructors and ask about how they teach instrument flying. You’d like to see that they have an established plan and schedule, which shows that they’re organized in their approach.
One final consideration is aircraft-specific experience. If you’re learning on an unusual aircraft type or one with advanced equipment (i.e. GPS or glass cockpits) it’s preferable to find an instructor with significant experience in type or you may find that you’re paying for that person to learn the airplane or systems.
The classic view limiting device is the instrument training hood, more simply referred to as "the hood." This is a conically shaped device worn on the head which blocks the pilot’s view up and to the sides. It’s reasonably effective but they can be cumbersome to wear and restrict the instructor’s view out of the airplane on the student’s side. This is important as the instructor has to maintain an outside view for traffic and terrain avoidance. Another type of device is similar to safety glasses that are opaque in some areas but clear (or cut out) in the lower-front to allow a view of the instruments ("Foggles"). They are effective but can be a pain to put on. Another type is based on a glasses-type design, but the view-limiting part hinges up and out of the way (Jeppesen). Yet another design attaches to the headset and swings up and down (Hoodlamb). This type works very well, but only comes with attachments for Dave Clark type headsets. The choice of view limiting device is a personal one. You should pick something that you find comfortable on your head and compatible with your headset and glasses (if you wear them). You might want borrow and try a few types and before you buy.
The FAA publications are the reference for all instrument flying training materials. Other sources include additional material, but they must include the content that the FAA considers essential. The basic FAA instrument text, the Instrument Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-15 was rewritten in 2001. The authors did a very good job. It uses a "just the facts" approach but is entirely readable. Illustrations are basic but clearly explain concepts and principles. It is a tight, concise read and should be part of every instrument pilot’s library. Although this book contains the core material for the instrument rating, several other references fill out the basics. These are AC-00-6A Aviation Weather and AC 00-45E Aviation Weather Services , which respectively delve into weather as it pertains to instrument flight, and the weather reporting and forecasting products available to pilots; the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) which details ATC services and both IFR and VFR procedures for pilots; the FARs (more properly referred to as Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations), which contain the exact rules and regulations for flying (the AIM and FARs are available as a single publication as the FAR/AIM, reprinted by multiple publishers).
Several publishers print their own books on instrument flying. As far as I’ve seen, they’re all suitable as primary references. Each has their own style. You might want to choose one that matches yours. Here are a few: Rod Machado’s Instrument Pilot’s Survival Manual. Rod specializes in adding humor to his texts, which helps make the reading both light and compelling. William Kerschner’s The Instrument Flight Manual offers enhanced explanations in a more conversational style. Jeppesen publishes the Instrument / Commercial Manual. This is a very high quality publication intended primarily for flight schools or undergraduate courses in aviation, for pilots planning a career in aviation. It combines material for the commercial certificate. It is a fairly complete work and includes a considerable amount of ancillary information, which means that there’s a lot more reading to do than is necessary for the rating. There are several other text’s available, but I don’t know much about them. If you’re considering one, compare the table to contents to the FAA book, read a few pages for content and style and make your own decision.
There are two well known sources of video and DVD’s for flight training. These are the King Schools’ Instrument Rating Knowledge Test Course and Sporty’s Pilot Shop Instrument Pilot Course . Both companies produced VHS video in the past but have phased them out and publish their materials on CD and DVD’s.
A recent development in pilot training is on-line web based instruction. There are several courses available. One that I’m familiar with and looks very well done is by MSAviation and is accessible at www.pilottraining.com/InstrumentRating.html . It is available both for download and DVD.
Finally, there are live courses offered at community colleges, high school adult-ed programs, flying clubs and commercial seminars. You can check with your local schools for course offerings. Many flying clubs offer courses on a rotating basis. Before you sign up for a class you should check with people who have taken it recently, preferably with the instructor with whom you’ll be taking the class. Quality of these classes varies widely, from excellent to worthless. Costs vary from less than $100 to about $250, with community college and adult-ed classes coming in at the low end. Commercial training organizations offer classes on a regular, repeating schedule. Most of the commercial classes are 2 or 3 day long "test prep" classes, meaning that they prepare you for the knowledge test but really aren’t intended to give you a deep understanding of the material. You can find advertisements for such classes in any magazine on flying. Typically costs run in the $250-350 range.
Typical Costs:
Aircraft Rental 43 hours @ $100/hr $4,300
Simulator Rental 12 hours @ $25/hr 300
Flight Instruction 55 hours @ $65/hr 3,575
Ground Instruction 25 hours @ 65/hr 1,625
Study Materials 120
Instrument Charts 40
Knowledge Test 85
Flight Test 400
______
Total $10,445
Above costs are based on use of a Classic Cessna 172. Use of a Cessna 172SP would increase the rental cost by $860 for a total cost of $11,305. Use of a Garmin G-1000 equipped C-172 would increase costs by about $2,800 for a total of $13,245 due to increased cost per hour and greater number of training hours required. Optional equipment and ground school training classes are not included (nor necessary).
Another option is accelerated training. There are several operators that offer "10 day" compressed courses. Usually there are prerequisites (flight time, knowledge test passed) so these options are not equivalent to standard training. Also, that which is quickly learned is also sometimes quickly forgotten. These programs are not for everyone, but they can be helpful for those people whose schedules won’t support conventional training. With some you have to go to them and some send instructors to you. Costs for these programs vary widely. If you’re considering this route as a cost saving measure, be sure to include all costs between the various different training options including transportation, housing, and flight time.
If you want to discuss any of this, or simply just talk about flying, please feel free to give me a call. I’ll be happy to talk with you even if you intend to fly with someone else, or are not even sure that you want to get an instrument rating.
May you have the best of luck in earning you cloud-flying wings!
Steven H. Philipson
Gold Seal CFI- airplane SEL/MEL, instrument, glider, AGI
FAA Aviation Safety Counselor
phone: (408) 530-9584
click here to: send mail to Steve (Please remove the < no-spam > from the e-mail address)