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Our academy focusses on the ground school and simulator aspects of pilot training. As an Instrument Rating (IR) also requires significant training hours in an aircraft, these IR courses will typically be conducted by our Partner Schools according to their training plans and using their instructors.

In certain exceptions (such as owner training in specialised aircraft or IR training using Multi Engine or Complex Single aircraft, our academy will conduct the antire IR course. In such a case, the following training plan applies:

 

Course Overview

This course will provide you with the ground training, flight training, exams and tests that you require to obtain your Instrument Rating (IR). You may obtain your Instrument Rating as a PPL or a CPL and enjoy similar instrument flying privileges. It should be noted that all the theoretical exam subjects for a PPL/IR and CPL/IR are identical except that in order to obtain a CPL, one extra subject (Aircraft Technical and General) must be written. Thus, if a student with a PPL writes the extra subject and meet all the other air experience and flight training requirements, the Instrument Rating and CPL Skills test can be combined and in subsequent years, all annual Instrument Rating revalidations will automatically also revalidate your CPL – a worthwhile option to consider.

During or prior to starting this Instrument Rating course, you need to obtain a certain amount of air experience (explained further below) and you may do this on your own or under the Hour Building Guidance programme offered by SFA.

The IR flight and simulator training hours that you will do are limited and should be done as close as possible to your Skills Test at the end of the course. We thus recommend that you attend ground school and complete all the examinations for the theoretical subjects before you commence simulator training.

 

Requirements for the Issue of an Instrument Rating

Air Experience Required for IR

 

Training Plan for IR

Our Modular Training Programme (MTP) consists of the following IR training:

 

(Note that the 40 IF training hours above include any PPL and Night Rating IF training)

 

Course Duration

Assuming that your night rating and other air experience are already in place, this course would typically take a full time student about four to six months to complete and a part time student should try and complete the course in no more than eighteen months to two years.

 

Study Material Required

The following publications are not compulsory but recommended for the serious student:

(All these manuals and publications are available from the Pilot Shop at SFA)