An instrument rating takes more than a few hood flights and a written test. You need the right pilot certificate, logged training, strong IFR skills, and a budget that accounts for practice time. Here’s how to get an instrument rating, step by step, with the requirements and choices that affect your timeline.
Step 1: Confirm Your Eligibility and Prepare Your Documents
Before you plan how to get an instrument rating, confirm that your certificates and records support the training. For an airplane rating, you need at least a current private pilot certificate with an airplane category and class, or you must apply for that certificate at the same time.
You must also be able to read, speak, write, and understand English unless a medical limitation applies to your certificate. Applicable requirements, including instrument-rating requirements, address pilot certificates, ground training, flight training, knowledge testing, and the practical test.
Gather these records before your first lesson:
- Your pilot certificate and government photo identification.
- Your medical certificate, if required for the privileges you plan to use.
- Your logbook, with cross-country and prior instrument time clearly entered.
- Any school enrollment records or training endorsements.
- Proof of education or residency if a career-track school requires it.
A first-class medical is often the smart choice for an aspiring airline pilot, even though the medical certificate you need can depend on the operation and privileges you plan to exercise. If you have a medical concern, resolve it early with an Aviation Medical Examiner. A delayed medical decision can hold up training after you’ve already paid for lessons.
Some schools also set their own admission rules. Those may include a minimum age of 18, a high school diploma or GED, citizenship or residency documents, a background check, or a drug screen. Treat those as school requirements, not universal instrument-rating rules.
By now, you should know whether you can start instrument training and which documents your school needs. That removes a common delay before the first lesson.
Step 2: Choose an Instrument Rating Training Plan and Budget
Choosing a training plan is the cost-control step in how to get an instrument rating. You’ll usually choose between flexible Part 61 training and a more structured Part 141 course, if an approved school offers that path.
Part 61 gives you more control over your schedule. It can suit a pilot who trains around work or school. Part 141 uses an approved syllabus and may reduce some minimum-hour requirements, but the school sets the pace and progression rules. Ask which path applies before comparing advertised totals.
Build your budget around more than aircraft rental. Include:
- Aircraft and instructor time.
- Ground school or study materials.
- Flight simulator or approved training-device time.
- Knowledge-test costs.
- Designated Pilot Examiner fees.
- Aircraft rental for the practical test.
- Extra lessons if weather, scheduling, or skill gaps slow progress.
Published instrument rating cost estimates vary widely. Compare each estimate in context rather than treating different parts of the process as the same package.
Axiom Aviation publishes an instrument-rating estimate on its Utah cost guide. Your final amount can still change with aircraft use, instructor time, simulator credit, and the number of lessons you need. Review the line items before you enroll, then ask what happens if you need more flight hours.
Training pace matters too. A full-time student may finish in about two months, while a part-time student may need longer. Weather, aircraft availability, instructor schedules, and your study habits all affect the calendar.
Use Axiom Aviation’s flight school financing and payment options when you need to plan funding before training starts. The goal is simple: know your likely monthly commitment before the first flight, not after the balance grows.
Planning rule: ask for a written estimate that separates required costs from likely add-ons. That single request can reveal hidden fees early.
Step 3: Complete Instrument Ground School and Pass the Knowledge Test
Ground school gives you the knowledge base for how to get an instrument rating safely. You can train with an instructor or complete an approved home-study course, but you still need the required endorsement before taking the knowledge test.
Your lessons should cover the rules and decisions behind IFR flight. That includes:
- Federal regulations that apply to instrument operations.
- Air traffic control clearances and procedures.
- IFR charts, navigation systems, and approach plates.
- Weather reports, forecasts, and windshear risks.
- Aircraft systems and safe instrument operation.
- Aeronautical decision-making and crew resource management.
Don’t treat ground school as a stack of quiz questions. Imagine the full flight. You’ll check the weather, choose an alternate plan, brief an approach, copy a clearance, and decide when the conditions no longer support the trip. That chain of decisions is what makes the knowledge useful in the cockpit.
The Instrument Rating – Airplane (FAA-S-ACS-8C) outlines the knowledge and practical test standards for the airplane instrument rating. Read it early. It tells you what the practical test will measure, so your study plan has a clear target.
Work with your instructor to identify the test endorsement requirement. Then use practice tests to find weak areas rather than memorizing answer patterns. If you miss questions about weather products, for example, return to actual weather briefings and explain what each item means.
Schedule the knowledge test when your scores are steady and you can explain the answers aloud. A passing score is useful, but understanding the material matters more once the workload rises in flight.
Axiom Aviation can help you connect ground lessons with flight work through a structured instrument training plan. That link matters because a chart lesson should show up later in your clearance readback, approach brief, or missed-approach decision.
By now, you should have a knowledge-test endorsement, a study plan for weak areas, and a clear sense of what the instrument-rating standards cover. Next, you’ll turn that knowledge into repeatable instrument skills.
Step 4: Build Instrument Flight Proficiency With an Instructor
Flight training is where how to get an instrument rating becomes a hands-on process. You’ll learn to control the aircraft by reference to instruments while managing navigation, radios, weather, and workload.
For the airplane rating under Part 61, the regulation generally calls for 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time. At least 15 of those hours must come from an authorized instructor with the proper instrument rating. You also need 50 hours of cross-country pilot-in-command time, including 10 hours in an airplane, subject to the credit rules that may apply to your training path.
Your instructor will work through the required areas of operation:
- Preflight planning and procedures.
- ATC clearances and communication.
- Basic attitude instrument flying.
- Navigation systems and tracking.
- Instrument approaches.
- Emergency procedures.
- Postflight review and record keeping.
Some time may take place in an approved simulator or flight training device. That lets you repeat holds, failures, and approaches without using aircraft fuel for every practice cycle. Simulator time can help, but it doesn’t replace sound aircraft handling and decision-making.
Keep your logbook precise. Record the aircraft or device used, the instructor, the type of approach, and the kind of instrument time. A vague logbook can create a paperwork problem when you’re ready for the checkride.
You’ll also need a recent instrument flight lesson before the practical test. Plan that flight near the checkride date so the skills are fresh. If a gap appears, fix it with focused practice rather than rushing to the examiner.
Instructors at Axiom Aviation can help you build the rating around aircraft and simulator use while keeping the records aligned with the training goal. The right plan is the one that makes you consistent, not the one that promises the fewest calendar days.
By now, you should have the required flight experience, the instructor endorsements, and enough repetition to manage an approach without losing control of the aircraft.
Step 5: Prepare for and Pass the Instrument Rating Practical Test
The practical test is the final stage in how to get an instrument rating. It has two parts: an oral examination and a flight test with an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner.
Before you schedule it, ask your instructor to review your logbook from the examiner’s point of view. Confirm that your experience totals are complete, your recent training is logged, and your endorsements are present. Also check that your knowledge-test result is available.
The oral portion may cover IFR flight planning, regulations, weather, aircraft systems, navigation, approach procedures, and risk management. Give clear answers. If a question depends on a chart, regulation, or aircraft system, explain how you would find and apply the information.
For the flight portion, expect tasks tied to the ACS. You may need to complete instrument departures, holds, navigation work, unusual-attitude recovery, and instrument approaches. The exact sequence depends on the examiner and the plan for the flight.
Use a checklist. Brief each approach before you start it. Keep your scan moving. Say what you’re doing when workload rises, especially during a clearance change or missed approach. The examiner needs to see safe control and sound judgment, not rushed perfection.
Schedule a mock oral and mock checkride with your instructor. Treat the mock event like the real one, including the preflight brief and postflight review. If you struggle with one area, delay the checkride long enough to fix it.
Passing the checkride earns the rating, but the learning continues. Keep flying with instruments after the test so the skill stays current. An instrument rating gives you more options, yet it never removes the need for conservative weather decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting an Instrument Rating
How long does it take to get an instrument rating?
Most full-time students may finish in about two months, while part-time students often need longer. Weather, aircraft access, instructor availability, study time, and your current flight experience all affect the schedule. Axiom Aviation lists the instrument rating as a roughly two-month stage in its professional training path, but your personal timeline may differ.
How much does an instrument rating cost?
Your total depends on aircraft hours, instructor time, simulator use, exams, and extra practice. Ask for a written estimate that shows what the package includes.
Do I need a private pilot license before an instrument rating?
Yes, you generally need a current private pilot certificate with the aircraft category and class tied to the rating. Federal rules also allow an applicant to pursue the private certificate and instrument rating together in some cases. For most aspiring career pilots, the instrument rating follows the private pilot certificate.
Can I use a simulator for instrument training?
Yes, an approved flight simulator or training device can count for some instrument training and may be used for specific usable-test tasks. It cannot replace every aircraft skill. Your instructor must make sure the device is approved for the training credit and that your logbook shows the time correctly.
What happens if I fail the instrument checkride?
If you fail part of the practical test, your instructor will help you review the notice of disapproval and train the affected areas. You’ll need the required endorsement before retesting. A failed attempt doesn’t erase your training, but rushing back to the examiner without fixing the weak area can add cost and delay.
Conclusion
The best way to begin is to confirm your eligibility, schedule a medical review if needed, and ask Axiom Aviation for a written instrument-training plan. Bring your logbook to that first discussion. With a clear budget and steady practice, you can begin your aviation journey and build the IFR skills that support a long-term aviation career.