Instrument Rating

The Instrument Rating allows the holder to operate under the Instrument Flight Rules and to fly any approved instrument approach down to a decision height of as little as 200 feet above ground level. This is the ultimate in flexibility for a pilot, allowing you to operate in all classes of airspace and in all weathers.

Horizon Aviation, offers the Competency-Based Instrument Rating flying course. The benefits of this approach to gaining an IR is that it gives much flexibility in how you complete the training. Not only can various types of previous instrument flying experience be credited towards your course, but you also have a choice of which theoretical knowledge examinations to complete (although this choice can add certain limitations to the rating with which you are finally issued).

If you are looking to revalidate or renew an existing IR, please click here for information on how we can help you achieve this.

The Basics…

On completion of the course and passing the Instrument Rating Test, you will be issued with an EASA “Single Pilot” Instrument Rating, with either Single Engine or Multi Engine privileges, depending on which class of aircraft you have trained on. The rating may be endorsed with limitations, depending on which theory exams you have completed. The Instrument Rating is valid for 12 months at a time.

The full course consists of a minimum of 40 (for Single Engine) or 45 hours Instrument Flight Time and a practical Instrument Rating Test. You will need to have successfully passed theoretical knowledge exams, valid for the issue of an Instrument rating, before starting the flying training course.

Before you start…

Licence

In order to complete this course, you must be in possession of a current EASA PPL or CPL to which the rating can be added.

Medical

You must hold either a valid Class 1 or Class 2 (additionally with a valid audiogram) Medical Certificate prior to being issued with an Instrument Rating.

Theoretical Knowledge

We currently offer the Instrument Rating flying course only. Therefore, you will need to complete an approved theoretical knowledge training course and pass all the examinations before beginning your flying training.

What does the course involve?…

Single Engine

The full course consists of a minimum of 40 hours of instrument Flight Time, including:
Icon10 hours basic instrument flight
Icon20 hours procedural and airways flight
Icon10 hours IR Test profile training

Multi Engine

The full course consists of a minimum of 45 hours of instrument Flight Time, including:
Icon10 hours basic instrument flight
Icon20 hours procedural and airways flight
Icon10 hours IR Test profile training
Icon5 hours Multi Engine aircraft basic and procedural instrument flight

The hours above are the minimum legal requirement for the issue of a rating (not including any credits for previous experience). and the actual time taken to complete the course will vary. We recommend that you take this into account when planning your training.

At the end of the course, you will have to pass an Instrument Rating Test with a CAA Examiner before being able to apply for your licence.

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Credits for Previous Flying Experience

You may be credited with the following based on previous experience:

Single Engine Instrument Rating
IconUp to 30 hours of approved and documented IR instruction
IconUp to 30 hours as PIC of aeroplanes under IFR
IconUp to 15 hours of other instrument flying instruction

Multi Engine Instrument Rating
IconUp to 35 hours of approved and documented IR instruction
IconUp to 35 hours as PIC of aeroplanes under IFR
IconUp to 15 hours of other instrument flying instruction

In all cases, the flying course must consist of a minimum of 10 hours of Instrument Flight Time under instruction, with at least 25 hours of dual instrument instruction in total.

The Multi Engine Instrument Rating also requires a minimum of 15 hours of the dual instruction to have been completed in a Multi Engine aircraft.

Credits towards the minimum hours requirement are decided based on a pre-entry flight assessment that must be completed with one of our instructors. We will use this flight to tailor a course to your exact requirements.

Cost

We aim to provide you with the best possible value for money at Horizon Aviation and are always working to keep our rates as low as possible. Due to the bespoke nature of the CB-IR course, we will supply an individual quotation for those wanting to claim previous instrument flying experience.

For those needing to complete the full course, our current prices are listed below:

Single Engine

40 hours Instrument Flight Time in our Single Engine, glass cockpit, Diamond DA40s
£TBA

Multi Engine

30 hours Instrument Flight Time in our Single Engine Diamond DA40s and 15 hours in the Multi Engine DA42s
£TBA

The course prices above include all aircraft hire, instructor time and landings / approaches at Bournemouth International Airport. The entire Multi Engine course can be completed in the DA42, if you wish – we can provide individual quotations for this on request.

What’s not included?

IconApproaches to other airfields (a number of these will be required as part of the course)
IconAdditional flying hours, landings and approaches in excess of the minimum course requirement (charged at our standard training rates)
IconAircraft hire, approach and landing fees for the Instrument Rating Test
IconExaminer fee for the Instrument Rating Test (paid directly to the UK CAA)

Conversion of ICAO Instrument Ratings

If you already hold an Instrument Rating on an ICAO licence issued by a country outside of EASA, you can complete an Instrument Rating Test with no training required (provided that you meet certain experience criteria).

We are happy to assist you with this process, from providing any brush up training you may find useful, to aircraft hire and organising your test with a UK CAA examiner.

Interested?

If you’d like to know more, please contact us for a chat and to arrange a visit.