Matthew Waugh

So you’re ready to get your instrument rating? Maybe you’ve been flying for a while and had a couple of recent trips cancelled where you know an instrument rating would have given you more confidence. Perhaps you’ve been flying for a while and now you’re ready for the challenge of a new rating. Maybe you’ve just recently got your pilot’s certificate, you’ve read Paul Craig’s The Killing Zone: How & Why Pilots Die, and you want to move straight onto the instrument rating.

Whatever your reasons this article is written to help guide you in making some decisions about the best way to go about getting the training and obtaining the rating. This article is targeted at airplane pilots and doesn’t address other forms of aircraft or transitions.

Requirements

The requirements for the instrument rating include NO requirement for total time. The FAA has reduced the total time requirement to zero over the years because they decided it was better for pilots to remain on contact with Flight Instructors and continue to work on additional ratings as they obtained experience.

You need 50 hours of Pilot In Command cross-country time (defined as a landing at a point more than 50NM from the original point of departure). You can probably build up some of this time as part of your instrument training, you’ll certainly have some cross-country time meeting the IFR cross-country requirements, but you can probably include some flights between airports as part of your training that will add to your cross-country total – just be sure and make a landing at the appropriate airport(s).

You’ll need 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time. This time doesn’t have to be with an instructor though, you can use an appropriately rated safety pilot to build this time.

You’ll need 15 hours of training from a CFI-I.

You need to complete a dual cross-country flight under IFR.

The details are all in 14 CFR Part 61.65.

An Approach To Instrument Training

First of all keep in mind that 50 hours of cross-country time. If you have less than about 35 of those hours make sure you plan any flights you take to try and include a “stop” 50+NMs away. If you’re going out flying with a buddy, head out 51NM and then come back. Going for a 100 dollar hamburger somewhere, even your destination is closer then 50NM consider flying past it, conducting a touch and go and coming back to you hamburger joint. Maximize your flying time to maximize your cross-country time.

Second, find a safety pilot. A safety pilot can help you build instrument time without having to pay an instructor for all the time. Obviously you’ll need some training so that you can make good use of your practice time, we’ll cover that a little later. If you’re flying with FlightGest at RDU talk with your instructor and they’ll be able to give you the names of pilot’s willing to act as safety pilot.

If you find somebody who is also interested in obtaining their instrument rating you might want to read the article on Buddy IFR Training. However, your safety pilot does not need to be instrument rated or even interested in getting their rating, although flying with you may pique their interest.

If you’re going to fly with another pilot you might be interested in this article, written for the WOC newsletter on the Two Pilot Cockpit.

Third, find an instructor. Sit down with your instructor and define a plan of action. Your instructor should have a syllabus (WORD) they use for instrument training. They should be able to work with you to define how the training in the syllabus can be conducted so that your instructor can conduct the initial training and then you can practice with your safety pilot.

Broadly speaking your training should probably be broken up like this:

  • Basic Flight by Instruments
  • Navigation
  • Non-Precision Approaches
  • Precision Approaches
  • Cross-country – putting it all together.

Can you get your instrument rating by keeping to the minimum of 15 hours required with an instructor? You may be able to, but be prepared that it may take a little longer for your instructor to ensure that when you go out to practice you’re going to practice the right thing! Remember that 15 hours includes your long cross-country (2-3 hours) as well as check-ride preparation (3 hours), so that’s not a huge amount of time.

The Key to an Instrument Rating

Initially you should focus on the fundamentals of controlling the aircraft by using the instruments, as well as flying without the vacuum instruments (partial panel). Quickly you’ll become proficient at flight by reference to instruments and then the fun begins.

Once you can fly the plane instrument flying becomes 90% a head game. It’s all about knowing what you’re doing now, what you’ll need to do next and what is the next thing after that you need to accomplish. If you’re head is a couple of points ahead of the airplane then you’ll have no problems. It’s when your head is in the same place as the airplane, things come as surprises, you’re not ready and pretty soon you’re “behind the airplane” and that’s when instrument flying gets to be both hard and dangerous (you don’t want your head leveling off at 1500 feet if the aircraft has already descended to 800 feet).

This is where a simulator comes in as a great way to learn and practice procedures. You can use up to 10 hours of PCATD training to count towards your 40 hours of instrument time. You should plan to use all that time and more if you have access to a simulator.

Practice makes perfect, and if instrument flying is a head game then you’ll find you can practice lots of instrument flying in your head. If you like to watch TV in the evening keep a book of approach plates next to you. When a commercial comes on, flip open the plates at random, and brief and “setup” the approach. If you can’t get it all done, accurately, before the commercials end then you need more practice.

Actual Instrument Time

In my opinion no instrument student or pilot should enter actual IMC on their own for the first time. That doesn’t mean that you need to have experienced actual IMC as part of your training, although once you reach a certain point in your training it’s certainly possible and good for you.

If you obtain your instrument rating with all your time being simulated instrument time my advice is to understand your limitations. By all means file and fly IFR in VFR conditions but, before you make your initial trip into IMC take along an instructor. Chances are if the weather is IMC an instructor is available. If you’ve been trained well the instructor will be along for the ride, but actual IMC IS different, and having the safety net of an instrument instructor along can be a great help. Think of it as like going solo when you were a student. Take the instructor out, shoot a couple of approaches then kick the instructor out and go out and shoot a couple more approaches solo!

Conclusion

Getting your instrument rating can be a lot of fun and it’ll certainly improve your piloting skills and radio work as well as boosting your confidence.

If you’re interested in getting started on your instrument rating please contact me.