Basic Requirements

Here are just a few of the basic requirements for the Instrument Rating. We’ll discuss what’s entailed in each of these requirements later in this section.

You must be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English Language

You must be able to obtain a 3rd class medical certificate

You must be 17 years of age

You must hold at least a private pilot license in the category and class of aircraft for which the rating is sought

You must have received and logged the appropriate ground and flight training for the Instrument Rating

You must have 50 hours of cross country flight time as pilot in command

You must have 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument flight time

You must pass the FAA Instrument Rating written exam

You must pass the Instrument Rating Practical Exam

Training

The training for the instrument rating consists of several distinct phases of training. Each level builds on the knowledge and skills learned in the previous level. The first phase is called basic attitude flying. This is where you learn basic instrument maneuvers such as turns, climbs, and descents solely by reference to you flight instruments. This helps you develop your “scan”, which is the ability to look at the many instruments and quickly make adjustments to maintain the desired heading, altitude, and speed.

After developing your basic scan its time to move onto holding patterns. Holding patterns are racetrack shaped patterns that are flown over a navigation fix. Holding is required due to delays in the Air Traffic Control system, weather or other situations beyond pilot control. For example lets say your destination airport has several runways but only one runway has the equipment required to allow landing in poor weather.  When poor weather conditions exist the airport it now has a decreased capacity for takeoffs and landings. So in order to slow the flow of takeoff and landings, air traffic controllers put airplanes in these holding patterns. Holding patterns require skill to correct for winds aloft to keep the aircraft flying over the navigation fix in the right direction and to keep the length of the holding pattern the same.

Once you’ve mastered holds it time for instrument approaches. Instrument approaches are used to facilitate landing under instrument weather conditions. Approaches are accomplished by tracking a ground based navigation aid, flying at predetermined speeds, and descending to specified altitudes at predetermined distances or time from a navigation fix. All of this turning and descending at just the right speed makes it possible to find the airport or runway threshold in low visibility and low ceilings.

After approaches, you are in the home stretch! Next comes instrument cross-country training. Now you have to use all the skills you’ve learned so far to get you from point A to point B. You learn to interact with the air traffic control system on a broader scale. Until now the majority of your training probably has been within your local airport area. Now its time to go someplace you’ve never been, shoot some approaches and land at an airport that you don’t have all the radio frequencies memorized.

After cross country its on to training for emergencies that you can encounter under IFR, examples are radio or instrument failures. You learn the ins and outs of flying partial panel (simulated loss of one or more instruments) including holds and approaches. In addition you learn procedures for lost communications with ATC.

Testing

The FAA Written exam

The written test for the Instrument Rating is a 60 question computerized test. The questions consist primarily of IFR regulations, weather, and navigation systems.

The FAA Practical Exam