The instrument rating is the add-on that most private pilots describe as the point where they became a real pilot. It lets you fly in cloud, in low visibility, and in the airspace system under instrument flight rules, controlling the airplane by reference to instruments alone rather than by looking outside. In Los Angeles, where the marine layer regularly shuts down the coast on an otherwise perfect morning, it is the difference between a useful airplane and a fair-weather hobby.
This guide explains what the instrument rating is, what the FAA requires, how an instrument rating course is structured, what the written and checkride involve, what it costs, and why Southern California airspace is one of the best places in the world to earn it.
How We Fit In: You Fly LA sells discovery flights — the introductory flight where you take the controls yourself. We do not run certificate or rating courses and we do not issue licenses. To enroll in an instrument rating course, our sister school Essence Flight School trains from the same airport. This page is a guide, written to answer the questions properly.
What The Instrument Rating Lets You Do
An instrument rating added to your private or commercial certificate lets you file and fly IFR. Practically, that means you can depart into a low overcast, climb through it, cruise on top, and fly an instrument approach down to published minimums at your destination. You can fly in controlled airspace in weather below visual flight rules minimums. You get a working relationship with air traffic control that makes flying in busy airspace far easier, because you are being sequenced and separated rather than negotiating your way through.
The rating also changes you as a pilot in ways that show up in visual flying. Instrument training builds precision, procedural discipline, and a habit of thinking several minutes ahead of the airplane. It is a prerequisite in practice for anyone heading toward a commercial pilot license and an absolute requirement for the airline path.
FAA Requirements For The Instrument Rating
The requirements live in 14 CFR 61.65. Here is the substance of them.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite certificate | At least a private pilot certificate with the appropriate category and class rating |
| Language | Read, speak, write and understand English |
| Cross-country PIC time | 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes |
| Instrument time | 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time |
| Instrument instruction | 15 hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor |
| Instrument cross-country | One IFR cross-country of at least 250 nautical miles along airways or ATC-directed routing, with an instrument approach at each of three airports and three different kinds of approach |
| Recency for the checkride | 3 hours of instrument training within the 2 calendar months before the practical test |
| Simulator credit | Up to 20 hours in an approved flight simulator or training device with an instructor, or up to 10 hours in an approved aviation training device |
| Knowledge test | FAA Instrument Rating Airplane written, 60 questions, 70% to pass |
The 50 hours of cross-country pilot-in-command time is the requirement that catches people out. It is separate from the 40 hours of instrument time, and most newly certificated private pilots do not have it. This is why instrument rating courses are often quoted in two shapes: one for pilots who already hold the cross-country time, and a longer one that includes time building to reach it. Ask which you are being quoted before you compare prices.
How An Instrument Rating Course Is Structured
Phase One: Attitude Instrument Flying
You learn to fly the airplane accurately with no outside reference. Full and partial panel, standard rate turns, climbs and descents to precise altitudes, timed turns, unusual attitude recovery, and instrument scan technique. This phase is mostly about breaking the habit of looking outside and building a reliable cross-check. A great deal of it can be done efficiently in a simulator.
Phase Two: Procedures And Navigation
You learn the IFR system. Holding patterns, intercepting and tracking courses, VOR and GPS navigation, departure procedures, arrivals, and the full family of instrument approaches: ILS, LPV and LNAV GPS approaches, VOR, and localizer. You learn to brief an approach plate, fly it to minimums, and execute a missed approach without hesitation. You also learn IFR clearances, copying them and reading them back, and how ATC actually works.
Phase Three: Cross-Country And Checkride Preparation
You put it together on real IFR cross-country flights, including the required 250-nautical-mile trip. You practice partial-panel approaches, holds, circling approaches, and the failures the examiner will introduce. Los Angeles is an excellent place for this because there are more approach types within short flying distance than almost anywhere in the country.
Subjects And Procedures You Will Cover
- Instrument scan, attitude instrument flying, and partial-panel operation
- IFR regulations, currency, alternates, and fuel requirements
- Reading and briefing approach plates, departure procedures, and arrivals
- ILS, LPV, LNAV, VOR and localizer approaches
- Holding pattern entries and holding at fixes and on airways
- Missed approaches, circling approaches, and approach minimums
- IFR clearances, ATC communications, and lost communications procedures
- Aviation weather for IFR: icing, thunderstorms, fog, and low ceilings
- Pitot-static and gyroscopic systems, and instrument failure recognition
- GPS, WAAS, RNAV, and modern glass-cockpit avionics
- Aeronautical decision-making, risk management, and single-pilot resource management
- Spatial disorientation and instrument illusions
The Written Exam And The Instrument Checkride
The FAA Instrument Rating knowledge test is 60 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, with a 70 percent pass mark. It is meaningfully harder than the private pilot written, particularly on approach charts, weather, and regulations. Most instructors want it passed early in the course, because a great deal of it is directly useful in the airplane.
The checkride is a single day with a designated pilot examiner. The oral covers regulations and currency, weather and alternate planning, aircraft systems, and a full IFR flight you planned in advance. The flight portion takes roughly two hours: departure under IFR, holding, a precision approach, at least two non-precision approaches, one of them partial panel, a circling approach, a missed approach, and unusual attitude recovery, all flown to Airman Certification Standards tolerances. Precision is the whole test.
Why Los Angeles Is A Good Place To Earn It
The Los Angeles basin has one of the most complex airspace systems in the world, and that is an advantage when you are learning to operate inside it. Within twenty minutes of Van Nuys Airport you can reach airports with ILS, RNAV, VOR and localizer approaches, all under a busy radar environment where controllers speak quickly and expect you to keep up. Pilots who earn their instrument rating here find flying IFR almost anywhere else straightforward.
The marine layer is the other reason. Coastal Southern California produces genuine low-IFR mornings on a regular schedule for much of late spring and summer, which means you can log real actual instrument time rather than only simulated time under a hood. Actual conditions with an instructor beside you are worth far more than any amount of hood work.
Not A Pilot Yet? Start Here
The instrument rating comes after the private pilot license. A discovery flight is where the whole thing begins — one hour, your hands on the controls, over Los Angeles.
Book A Discovery Flight →How Long It Takes And What It Costs
An instrument rating course typically runs 25 to 40 lessons. Students flying two or three times a week generally finish in two to four months. As with the private pilot license, frequency is the dominant variable: instrument flying is a perishable skill built on a scan that degrades quickly, so weekly-only students spend a lot of money re-learning.
| Item | What To Budget |
|---|---|
| Essence Flight School instrument rating course | $11,700 |
| Knowledge test fee | Roughly $175 |
| Designated pilot examiner fee | Roughly $800–$1,000 |
| Charts, plates, subscriptions and books | Roughly $200–$400 |
| Additional cross-country time building, if needed | Varies with hours already logged |
The most effective way to control the cost is the simulator. The FAA allows substantial instrument training credit in approved devices, and procedures work — holds, approach briefings, partial panel, failure scenarios — is often learned faster on the ground where the instructor can pause and reset. Our full-motion flight simulator page explains how simulator sessions work at Van Nuys. Essence publishes a full breakdown of flight school costs.
Airplanes Used For IFR Training
Instrument training in Los Angeles is normally done in a four-seat single. The Piper Warrior PA-28-161 is the traditional choice: stable, predictable, and inexpensive, which makes it a good instrument platform. The Cirrus SR20 gives you a modern glass panel with an integrated autopilot, which is closer to what you will fly later in a career. Many pilots train mostly in the simpler airplane and add glass-cockpit familiarization at the end. Our airplanes page covers the fleet we fly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need A Private Pilot License Before The Instrument Rating?
Yes. You need at least a private pilot certificate in the same category and class. Start with our private pilot license guide if you are not there yet.
How Long Does An Instrument Rating Take?
Most students flying two or three times a week finish in two to four months. The course is usually 25 to 40 lessons depending on the syllabus and how much cross-country time you arrive with.
What Is The 50-Hour Cross-Country Requirement?
You need 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command before the instrument checkride, at least 10 of it in airplanes. Cross-country here means a landing at a point more than 50 nautical miles from your departure airport. Many private pilots need to build some of this time during the rating.
Can I Use A Flight Simulator For The Instrument Rating?
Yes, and you should. Depending on the device and whether an instructor is present, the FAA allows up to 20 hours of the required instrument time in approved full flight simulators and flight training devices, or up to 10 hours in an approved aviation training device. It is the cheapest and often the most effective instrument training available.
How Much Does An Instrument Rating Cost In Los Angeles?
Essence Flight School's instrument rating course is $11,700. Add the knowledge test fee, the examiner's fee, and chart subscriptions. If you need to build cross-country time, budget separately for that.
What Is The Difference Between Actual And Simulated Instrument Time?
Actual instrument time is flown in real instrument meteorological conditions. Simulated instrument time is flown in visual conditions wearing a view-limiting device, with a safety pilot or instructor. Both count toward the 40 hours, but actual time teaches things a hood cannot.
How Do I Stay Instrument Current After The Checkride?
Within the preceding six calendar months you need six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses. Miss that window and you have six months to regain currency; miss that too and you need an instrument proficiency check with an instructor.
Can I Fly In Any Weather With An Instrument Rating?
No, and this is the most important limitation to understand. The rating lets you operate in the IFR system, but thunderstorms, structural icing, and weather below approach minimums remain firmly off limits. The rating expands your options; it does not remove your judgment.
Is The Instrument Written Harder Than The Private Written?
Yes, noticeably. It leans heavily on approach chart interpretation, weather products, and regulations. Plan on real study time rather than a weekend of question banks.
Should I Train In Glass Or Steam Gauges?
Either works. Traditional analog instruments teach a disciplined scan and are usually cheaper per hour. Glass cockpits reflect what you will fly professionally. Many pilots do the bulk of the rating in one and get comfortable in the other before the checkride.
Can I Do IFR Training At Night Or On Weekends?
Yes. Flight schools at Van Nuys operate seven days a week and schedule one-on-one. Night IFR is excellent training and often has quieter frequencies.
What Comes After The Instrument Rating?
For career-track pilots, the commercial pilot license and the multi-engine rating, then the CFI certificates. For everyone else, the instrument rating alone makes your flying dramatically more useful.
Ready To Enroll? Essence Flight School runs the instrument rating program at Van Nuys Airport for $11,700. You Fly LA is at Van Nuys Airport, 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406 , open 9 AM to 9 PM seven days a week. Call (818) 330-1318.
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