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November 22, 2024 13 mins

In this episode, Hollie Bellino covers all of the FAA requirements to get your instrument rating including the required ground and flight time depending on Part 141 or Part 61 flight schools. She, also, reviews how to stay current as an instrument pilot and throws out some awesome tips to prepare you for your instrument checkride!

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Resources:

Part 61: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-61/subpart-B/section-61.65

Part 141: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-141/appendix-Appendix%20C%20to%20Part%20141

Currency: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-61/subpart-A/section-61.57

Currency details: https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/pilots/training/firc/InFO15012.pdf

Simulator Differentiation: https://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/media/advisory_circular/ac_61-136b.pdf

What kind of simulator have you been using: https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/nsp/FAA_Approved_Aircraft_ATDs.pdf

Instrument Rating Template: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rdcElThTu39KGgK4brK0nnk7OgL2iVKp/view?usp=drive_link

https://www.wificfi.com/endorsements

Intro music was produced by Jacob Watson.

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The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of any company, institution or corporation. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
How's it going aviators? It's me, Hollie Bellino, and thanks for joining me today on another

(00:13):
episode of The Aviator's Guide. I know y'all are probably expecting another episode of my
mini series, Ways to Build Flight Hours, but we're going to come back to that later, and
today we're going to take a brief segue and roll into yet another important topic for
you. Back in episode 8, I covered all the details required for you to get your private
pilot license. So it's time I did the same for you guys who have already started or who

(00:36):
are about to start your instrument rating for the airplane. That's right, I know you
guys have been wanting it, so here it is, how to get your instrument rating, which in
my opinion is a straight up awesome rating and one that I think every pilot should have
even if you don't want to fly for a living. But this episode isn't just for you pilots
out there working towards your instrument rating. It's also for you instructors out

(00:56):
there to help you make sure that you hit every topic, every flight hour, and every endorsement
you need to make sure your student is not only technically ready but qualified for that
checkride. Some of you, students and instructors alike, may be thinking, my flight school takes
care of all this stuff, why do I need to know? Well, I'm glad you asked guys. I have actually
been finding that there are a lot of pilots out there whose instructors have not been

(01:19):
appropriately helping them keep up with all of their endorsements and qualifications for
the checkride. So as an applicant for that checkride, it definitely wouldn't hurt for
you to double check that you are qualified for said checkride because it's better to
verify than find out on your checkride date from an irritated DPE that you are not qualified,
wasting his time, wasting a checkride slot, and pushing back your schedule further, meaning

(01:41):
you have to wait longer and you have to pay more for review flights. According to SAFE,
the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, there were over 50,000 checkrides canceled
in 2023 due to students not being qualified for them, meaning the students did not have
the proper endorsements, hours, training, and or the aircraft wasn't airworthy. Don't

(02:02):
let that be you. As an applicant for that practical test, aka the checkride, you need
to understand what you need to have done for the big day. As instructors, don't be that
CFI. Don't let your students down. They rely on you for everything from training and studying
to motivation and preparedness. Be an advocate for your students and be someone that they
can trust. And I know, I know you guys definitely have not forgotten what it was like to be

(02:26):
in their shoes, so don't leave them hanging. As I go over all this information coming up,
I will be summarizing and interpreting the information from the FARs, which can be quite
convoluted as some of you very well know. And that's why I included the links in the
show notes so you can check them out for yourself. Now remove your chocks and your tie downs
and buckle up because we're going to get started. Starting with the basics from Big

(02:47):
Brother, aka the FAA. To apply for an instrument rating, you have to have completed eight items.
You have to have a current private pilot certificate or be simultaneously applying to one at the
same time of your instrument rating. You have to be able to read, speak, write, and understand
English. You have to receive and log ground training or have completed an at-home study
course such as GLIM, King's schools, or Sporties over the required aeronautical knowledge topics.

(03:11):
And really quickly, those topics are the FARs or federal aviation regulations that are regarding
IFR or instrument flight rule operations, the contents of the AIM or aeronautical information
manual applicable to IFR operations, ATC or air traffic control procedures for instrument
flight operations, IFR navigation and approaches, IFR in route and approach charts, aviation

(03:32):
with reports, recognition of critical weather and wind shear avoidance, safe and efficient
aircraft operations under IFR, and as always ADM and CRM or aeronautical decision making
and judgment, and crew resource management, which I know we have talked about before.
To apply for the instrument rating, you must also have an endorsement from an authorized
instructor stating that you are prepared for the knowledge exam, aka the RIN test. You

(03:54):
must pass the knowledge test. Unless you already have an instrument rating, then you don't
have to take it again. You have to have received and logged the required flight training from
an authorized instructor. And that required flight training encompasses pre-flight preparation
and procedures, flight by references to instruments, navigation systems, instrument approach procedures,
emergency operations, and of course you can't forget your post-flight procedures. It's

(04:17):
all in the ACS guys. The last two items you need to apply for an instrument rating are
you have to have an endorsement from an authorized instructor that you are prepared for the practical
test, aka checkride. And obviously you have to pass that test. That's the last thing.
Did I say last thing? Oh wait, there's more. Just like when getting your private pilot
certificate, the number of hours that you need will vary depending on if you're at

(04:38):
a Part 141 school or a Part 61 school. Let's do a quick overview of the differences, shall
we? And like always, I have the links for the details of these in the show notes so
you can look them up via my favorite website as an instructor, ecfr.gov. But for those
of you who don't really understand, Part 141 is a curriculum based training that has
to be approved by the FAA, where Part 61 is more of a contract based type of training

(05:01):
where any authorized instructor can complete it for you. Now that doesn't mean that Part
61 is super unorganized and that you're not going to have a curriculum when you go to
a Part 61 school. It just means they're not required to have one to follow by the FAA.
A lot of Part 61 flight schools make a curriculum to make sure they cover all the topics required
by the FAA. In regards to Part 141, for an initial instrument rating, you have to have

(05:23):
completed 30 hours of ground school covering the required aeronautical knowledge topics
that I mentioned earlier. If you are going for an additional instrument rating, you only
need 20 hours of this instead of 30. But when it comes to Part 61 training, there is no
number of hours that have to be completed to cover the ground knowledge. You only have
to have the endorsement stating that you've covered all the appropriate topics. For required

(05:44):
flight training pertaining to Part 141, you have to have 35 hours of flight training for
an initial instrument rating, or only 15 hours of flight training if it's an additional
instrument rating. And up to 50% of that time can be done in flight simulators, depending
on the simulator of course, because there are a lot of different simulators out there.
If you're feeling masochistic and want to dive into more of the differences between

(06:08):
simulators, I have a link in the show notes to an advisory circular or AC that will tell
you all the differences and more that you could ever want to know about them. I also
found a government website that states which simulator type each simulator manufacturer
makes. And by type I mean ATD, FTD, AATD, BATD, FFS, all that good stuff. It's a great
website to use to make sure you're using the correct simulator for what you need to

(06:30):
get done. Now for Part 61, the flight requirements are a little bit more than just 35 hours as
they are in Part 141. One, you have to have 50 hours of cross country PIC time, of which
10 hours of that must be done in an airplane for your airplane instrument rating. And since
you only need 10 hours of that to be done in an airplane, that means you can use other

(06:51):
flight time you have, say in a helicopter, towards that required 50 hours of cross country
PIC. Two, you have to have 40 hours of simulated or actual instrument time. And by simulated
it just means you have to be under the hood wearing foggles, blockgles, or one of those
ridiculous visors. And 15 of those 40 hours must be done with an authorized instructor
with an instrument airplane rating. And three, you have to have completed three hours of

(07:15):
instrument flight training with, you guessed it, an authorized instructor and the preceding
two calendar months before your checkride. Another requirement of both Part 141 and Part
61 is for you to complete a cross country flight within your instrument training. But
of course the items included in said cross country flight are slightly different between
Part 61 and Part 141. Part 141 states that the flight must be performed under IFR, which

(07:39):
I can only assume it has to be performed in simulated or actual conditions, whereas Part
61 explicitly states that you have to file an instrument flight plan and perform the
flight under IFR. And CFIs, I'm sure this goes without saying, but just make sure your
students know how to file and cancel an IFR flight plan. And remember, you cannot cancel
it via for-flight. For the cross country, both Part 141 and Part 61 require you to do

(08:02):
an approach at each airport, that three different kinds of approaches must be done with use
of navigation systems, and that the cross country must be 250 nautical miles. The only
other difference is that Part 141 requires that cross country to have one leg that is
a straight line distance of 100 nautical miles. Part 61 don't care. And there you have it
guys, those are the requirements to get your instrument rating. Some people think that

(08:25):
the instrument rating is one of the harder ratings to get because it is very precise,
but that precision required can clear up a lot of the gray area that tends to exist in
aviation. But once you finish, whew, it's nice, what a relief you got your rating and
you're done, right? No, you're never done in aviation. Now you not only have to stay
proficient to be safe, but you have to stay current to be legal. That's why we have another

(08:48):
fun mnemonic device to help us remember how to stay current for instrument. So in addition
to needing your biennial flight review and your three takeoffs and three landings in
the last 90 days, if at night to a full stop in order for you to carry passengers, you
will also need 66 hits. 66 hits sounds painful, right? But it's really not too bad. You just

(09:08):
have to complete six instrument approaches with holding, intercepting, and tracking using
navigational aids in the last six months to stay current. And I have the FAR list for
this in the show notes if you want to dive deeper. To make it even easier to knock these
hits out, this currency can be done in an FFS, full flight simulator, FTD, flight training
device or ATD, aviation training device. But if you do that, the approaches have to be

(09:31):
flown in simulated instrument conditions all the way down to minimums, your DA or MDA.
For an approach to count while in the aircraft when flying an actual IMC or instrument meteorological
conditions, you have to be in actual IMC until the final approach segment prior to or upon
reaching your DA decision altitude or MDA minimum descent altitude. If you're flying

(09:52):
VMC or visual meteorological conditions, you will have to be under the hood to simulate
IMC, meaning you will have to have a safety pilot. And just like you would in the simulator,
you will have to fly that approach all the way down to the DA or MDA under simulated
conditions for the approach to count. Now for your safety pilots, you can just go grab
Bob from down the street, see if he wants to hang out with you for a day. They have

(10:13):
to not only be sitting in the control seat, but they have to have a valid medical as well.
And they have to be rated in the category and class of the aircraft that you're flying.
And their name has to be logged with the flight. Well, what do you do if it's been more than
six months and you haven't done your six hits? Well, according to FAR 6157 Delta 1,
you have an additional six months to get those six hits in. However, you can no longer fly

(10:35):
by yourself using instrument flight rules because you are no longer current. So what
do you have to use guys? A safety pilot, or you can just go hop in a simulator. I included
a link to an FAA letter with all these details in the show notes. So check it out if you'd
like. What if it's been 12 months and you still haven't done your six hits? Then you
will have to get an IPC or instrument proficiency check. Any authorized instructor or DPE can

(11:00):
do this for you. And I'm sure y'all are barely hanging on at this point. So I'm not going
to bore you with all the details of what has to be included in an IPC, but you can find
what's included in the IPC by going to the instrument ACS to appendix one in the back
and it tells you right there. It specifically lays out which areas of operation in that
ACS are required for the IPC. And that right there could be an instrument checkride question.

(11:21):
So make sure you know where to find that. And while you have the ACS out, go ahead and
review it. That free book is literally a play by play of what to expect on your checkride.
So take advantage of it. Other things I recommend you do before your checkride are to of course
know the questions you missed on your written exam, know how to use your TPP or terminal
procedures publication and study the pilots cafe IFR quick review guide. If you haven't

(11:44):
heard of that, just go to pilotscafe.com and you can get it for free. This document is
a great study guide for you guys for your checkride. However, it is not an FAA resource.
So you technically should not be using it on your checkride. The resources you'll want
available for your checkride are for flight, the far aim, which is free with your four
flight subscription. And you can also use ECFR.gov that I mentioned earlier, the TPP

(12:06):
or terminal procedures publication also free with your four flight subscription, the instrument
procedures handbook, the instrument flying handbook, your p hack, obviously, or your
pot's handbook of aeronautical knowledge, and maybe the ACS. And those last four items
can all be found for free on the FAA website or in your four flight. And there you have
it. But a being but a boom, there's your instrument rating. Y'all let me know if I missed anything,

(12:27):
but I think I covered it all. And to help you further, I even created an instrument
rating template to make sure you guys have everything covered that you need for your
checkride. I was a part 61 instructor and I use this template to show the DPS that I
in fact covered all of the required ground and flight training and they loved it. And
the link for that template is in the show notes. But now it's up to you to put in the

(12:48):
work, get your instrument rating, tap that like button, share this episode, hey, share
the whole podcast and YouTube while you're at it, but only if you really enjoyed it and
found it helpful. I aim to please and as always, don't forget to follow my podcast and subscribe
to my YouTube. You're already here. So why not help a lady out? Keep calm and study on
and I'll see you later aviators.
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