The Instrument Rating allows you to fly under FAA Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) in instrument meteorological conditions — that means flying right through clouds — and dramatically increases the flexibility of the airplane as a source of transportation.
Instead of flying by reference to the earth's horizon, the airplane's instruments are used to fly the airplane and navigate to the destination. Training here happens in real Southern California IFR — the marine layer at John Wayne Airport makes genuine instrument pilots.
The Instrument Rating course, based on two or three sessions per week, is normally about four months. Simulator time in the Redbird MCX is included.
What you'll learn
- Instrument scanning, interpretation, and airplane control
- Radio and GPS navigation
- Holding patterns
- Instrument approaches
- IFR cross-country flying
- Review for the FAA written test and checkride
Where this takes you
- Fly in the clouds and on the airways, on your schedule
- Required for the Commercial certificate and every airline career
- Sharper precision flying for the rest of your career
Requirements
Private Pilot certificate; current FAA medical. Debt-Buster E2: 47 hours — 26 hrs dual flight instruction, 21 hrs simulator, 22 hrs briefings.