Instrument Rating
The Instrument Rating for the aspiring professional pilot, the instrument rating takes you into the world of advanced flight, giving you the capability of flying, navigating, and landing in instrument weather conditions. You will have encountered the basics of instrument flight during your night rating training.
The aim of the Instrument Rating (IR) training course is to train pilots to the level of proficiency necessary to operate aircraft under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) in accordance with the applicable CAR, CATS, and ICAO requirements. In essence, this will teach you how to fly an aircraft with no external reference and solely on the aircraft instrumentation. This rating will allow you to be more flexible as a pilot with regard to weather restricting your flights in a safe and structured manner.
Requirements for the Instrument Rating:
- The student must have a valid pilot license (Private Pilot License or Commercial Pilot License).
- The student must have a valid Night
- The student must have a valid class 1 aviation medical
- The student must have a valid General Radio certificate;
- The student must have passed the Instrument Rating theoretical knowledge online
- An applicant for an Instrument Rating must have completed at least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as Pilot In Command (PIC) of an airplane, helicopter, or powered-lift aircraft, of which at least 10 hours must have been in the category of aircraft for which the Instrument Rating is
- The applicant must have received a minimum of 40 hours for instrument flight training of which a maximum of 20 hours may be in an FSTD (Flight Simulator Training Device) approved for the
- A minimum of 5 hours of instrument flight training must be undertaken in the aircraft category for which the Instrument Rating (IR) is
- In the case of an Instrument Rating (Minimum Enroute Altitude [MEA]), at least five hours of instrument flight training shall be conducted in a multi-engine airplane and shall be added to the training requirement for the multi-engine class or type rating. Three of the five hours may be in a Flight Simulator Training Device (FSTD) approved for the
The Instrument Rating course is divided into 6 phases of training namely:
Phase 1: Basic ground training.
Phase 2: Instrument flying skills.
Phase 3: Instrument flying procedures.
Phase 4: Ground training toward operating procedures under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).
Phase 5: Line Oriented Flight Training (LOFT), Line Operational Simulation (LOS), and Line Operational Evaluation (LOE).
Phase 6: Route familiarization in aircraft.
Duration: ± 6-7 months.
Total Hours: ± 40 hours.
The Instrument Rating will consist of:
- 60 hours of Briefing and Lectures.
- 20 hours Dual Flight Patter.
- Online Instrument Rating Exams.
Enquire about the Instrument Rating
We have 3 amazing flight academies to choose from.
Flight Schools
Apex Flight Academy
Apex Flight Academy is located at the Klerksdorp Airfield in the North West Province of South Africa.
Potch Flight Academy
Potch Flight Academy is located at the Potchefstroom Airfield in the North West Province of South Africa.
Parys Flying Academy
Parys Flying Academy is located at the Parys Airfield in the Free State Province of South Africa.