What Good Is An Instrument Rating?
An instrument rating allows a pilot to fly in Instrument Meteorological Conditions(IMC) or weather conditions that require pilots to fly primarily by reference to instruments. Flying in these conditions is governed by Instrument Flight Rules(IFR). An aircraft can also fly under IFR during good weather, and must do so if flying at 18,000 feet above sea level or higher.
How To Get An Instrument Rating
You will need a private pilot license, a total of 50 hours of cross country flight and 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time to get an instrument rating. Just like a private pilot license, there is a written test, an oral test, and a flight test required for an instrument rating. Only 15 of the 40 hours of instrument time are required to be with an instructor. However, any time you are flying in simulated instrument conditions (simulated instrument conditions refers to wearing a view limiting device so you can only see the instrument panel and not outside the airplane, as opposed to flying in an actual flight simulator), you must have a safety pilot to watch for other aircraft and make sure the flight is conducted safely. The safety pilot must be a licensed pilot and have a current medical certificate. You can fly up to 20 of the 40 required instrument flying hours in an approved flight simulator or flight training device.
IFR vs VFR
Flying under Visual Flight Rules(VFR) differs from flying under Instrument Flight Rules(IFR) in several ways. When flying under VFR, you are not required to file a flight plan, whereas under IFR you must always file a flight plan. VFR flying has very strict visibility and cloud clearance requirements whereas flying under IFR allows you to fly right through the clouds. Granted, it would not be wise to fly through certain kinds of clouds in any situation. Even large airliners avoid flying directly into the middle of thunderstorms for example. However, having a current instrument rating and a plane equipped to fly in instrument meteorological conditions can give you a lot more flexibility when it comes to flying in weather that is not conducive to VFR flying.
Flying under IFR
Instrument flight rules allow you to fly in zero visibility conditions. However, this does not mean that you are allowed to take off or land with zero visibility. Each airport’s instrument approach procedures will specify what the visibility needs to be to successfully conduct that approach. If your aircraft is conducting an instrument approach and you reach the missed approach point without being able to see the landing environment, you must conduct a missed approach, go around and try again, or head to your alternate airport.
