To earn an instrument rating in airplanes you need a private pilot certificate, 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command with at least 10 of it in airplanes, and 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time of which 15 hours must come from an authorized instructor holding an instrument-airplane rating. You then pass a knowledge test and a practical test. Every one of those numbers lives in 14 CFR 61.65, and this page walks through the whole regulation in the order you will meet it.
If you want the local course rather than the regulation — how training is staged, which airplanes we use, how long it takes — read our instrument rating in Los Angeles page, which is the pillar this one sits under. If the question behind the question is money, our instrument rating cost breakdown prices every hour listed below. All citations here were checked against the current text of Part 61 on eCFR.
The Prerequisites Before You Start
14 CFR 61.65(a) sets out who may apply. You must hold at least a current private pilot certificate with an airplane rating appropriate to the instrument rating sought, or be applying for one concurrently. You must be able to read, speak, write and understand the English language. And you must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor, or complete a home-study course, covering the aeronautical knowledge areas in 61.65(b), then receive an instructor endorsement certifying that you are prepared for the knowledge test.
Three things people expect to find here are not in the regulation.
- There is no separate age requirement. The instrument rating inherits the age of the certificate it attaches to. If you hold a private pilot certificate you are already at least 17.
- There is no additional medical certificate. You need whatever 14 CFR 61.23 requires for the privileges you are exercising, which for a private pilot is a third-class medical. The instrument rating does not raise it. Our FAA medical certificate page covers the classes.
- There is no minimum total time. The 50-hour figure is cross-country pilot-in-command time specifically, not total time, and the two are very different numbers in most logbooks.
The Aeronautical Experience: 61.65(d)
This is the paragraph that decides your timeline. For the instrument-airplane rating, 61.65(d) requires that you have logged the following.
| Requirement | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-country flight time as pilot in command | 50 hours | At least 10 hours of it in airplanes |
| Actual or simulated instrument time | 40 hours | In the areas of operation listed in 61.65(c) |
| Instrument training from an authorized instructor | 15 hours | Instructor must hold an instrument-airplane rating; counts within the 40 |
| Instrument flight training before the practical test | 3 hours | In an airplane appropriate to the rating, within the 2 calendar months before the test |
| IFR cross-country flight with an instructor | 1 flight | 250 nautical miles along airways or by directed routing, on a filed IFR flight plan |
The Fifty Cross-Country Hours Are The Real Gate
Read 61.65(d)(1) carefully, because it is where most instrument students discover their timeline is longer than they thought. It requires 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which 10 hours must have been in an airplane. Cross-country time for this purpose means flights that included a landing at a point more than 50 nautical miles from the original departure point, under the definition in 14 CFR 61.1.
A newly certificated private pilot typically holds somewhere between 5 and 15 hours of it, because the private certificate's own cross-country requirements under 61.109 are modest. If you arrive with 12, you have 38 hours of flying to do before the checkride that is not instrument training at all. It is ordinary cross-country flying, and it is the largest single variable in what an instrument rating costs and how long it takes.
The good news is that those hours are not consumed. Cross-country pilot-in-command time counts again toward the commercial certificate under 14 CFR 61.129(a)(2), so if a commercial certificate is anywhere in your plans you are buying them once for two purposes. Our time building guide explains how to fly them without wasting money, and cross-country destinations from Van Nuys lists the airports worth flying to.
The Forty Instrument Hours
61.65(d)(2) requires 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time in the areas of operation listed in 61.65(c). Actual instrument time is flown in real instrument meteorological conditions. Simulated instrument time is flown in visual conditions under a view-limiting device with a safety pilot or instructor aboard. Both count.
Within that 40, at least 15 hours must be received from an authorized instructor who holds an instrument-airplane rating. The remaining 25 may be logged in other legal ways, including simulated instrument time flown with a qualified safety pilot, which is how many pilots build instrument time cheaply. The instrument time must also include three hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor in an airplane appropriate to the rating, within the two calendar months before the date of the practical test — a recency rule, not an extra three hours on top.
The 250-Nautical-Mile IFR Cross-Country
This is the single flight everyone remembers. Under 61.65(d)(2)(ii), your instrument training must include cross-country flight procedures, including one cross-country flight in an airplane with an authorized instructor, performed under instrument flight rules with a flight plan filed with an air traffic control facility, that involves:
- a flight of 250 nautical miles along airways or by directed routing from an air traffic control facility;
- an instrument approach at each airport; and
- three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems.
From Van Nuys this is a genuinely enjoyable day of flying rather than a box to tick. The 250 miles can be built out of legs up the coast, inland over the high desert or south toward San Diego, and Southern California has enough variety of published approaches within that radius that the three different kinds requirement is easy to satisfy honestly rather than contrived.
How Much Simulator Time Counts
This is the most misquoted part of 61.65, so here are the actual limits. Credit toward the instrument time requirements of the section is permitted as follows, and in every case the training must be given by an authorized instructor in an approved device.
| Device | Maximum credit | Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Full flight simulator or flight training device | 20 hours | 61.65(h) |
| Full flight simulator or FTD in a course at a Part 142 training center | 30 hours | 61.65(h) |
| Basic aviation training device | 10 hours | 61.65(i) |
| Advanced aviation training device | 20 hours | 61.65(i) |
| Any combination of the above | 20 hours total | 61.65(j) |
The combination cap is the number that matters: outside a Part 142 training center course, no more than 20 of your 40 instrument hours can come from devices, however many devices you use. We are a Part 61 school, so 20 is our ceiling and we take all of it. Our Redbird MCX is an FAA-approved advanced aviation training device with single- and multi-engine profiles, and structuring the course as 20 airplane hours plus 20 simulator hours is both the legal maximum and, for approaches and holds, better training than the airplane provides. Simulator hours that count covers the same question for every other certificate.
The Ten Knowledge Areas: 61.65(b)
Your ground training must cover, and the knowledge test will examine, the areas listed in 61.65(b):
- Federal Aviation Regulations that apply to flight operations under IFR.
- Appropriate information that applies to flight operations under IFR in the Aeronautical Information Manual.
- Air traffic control system and procedures for instrument flight operations.
- IFR navigation and approaches by use of navigation systems.
- Use of IFR enroute and instrument approach procedure charts.
- Procurement and use of aviation weather reports and forecasts, and the elements of forecasting weather trends.
- Safe and efficient operation of aircraft under instrument flight rules and conditions.
- Recognition of critical weather situations and windshear avoidance.
- Aeronautical decision making and judgment.
- Crew resource management, including crew communication and coordination.
Two of those carry most of the exam weight in practice: chart interpretation and weather. Our page on the instrument written exam and the ACS goes through how the test is built and how to study for it.
The Eight Areas Of Operation: 61.65(c)
Your flight training, and the practical test, are organized around eight areas of operation:
- Preflight preparation.
- Preflight procedures.
- Air traffic control clearances and procedures.
- Flight by reference to instruments.
- Navigation systems.
- Instrument approach procedures.
- Emergency operations.
- Postflight procedures.
The Instrument Rating – Airplane Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-8C, effective 31 May 2024, expands each of these into specific tasks with knowledge, risk management and skill elements, and states the tolerances the examiner will hold you to. It is a free download from faa.gov and it is the single most useful document in the whole rating, because it is literally the test.
The Two Tests
The Knowledge Test
You need an instructor endorsement under 61.65(a)(4) before you can sit it. It is taken at an approved testing center, costs roughly $175, and the passing score is 70 percent. A passing result is valid for the calendar month of the test plus 24 calendar months, which is why we push students to take it early in the rating rather than late — an expired written is a genuinely miserable way to delay a checkride. Where to take the FAA written test in Los Angeles lists the local centers.
The Practical Test
An instructor endorsement under 61.65(a)(6) certifies you are prepared. The test itself is an oral examination followed by a flight, conducted by a designated pilot examiner against the ACS, and examiner fees in Southern California run roughly $800 to $1,000. Expect approaches of more than one kind, a hold, partial-panel work, and at least one thing going wrong that you are expected to deal with calmly. Our page on what to expect on an FAA checkride covers the format, and DPE fees and wait times covers the scheduling reality.
What The Rating Lets You Do Afterwards
Holding the rating means you may act as pilot in command under IFR, and in weather below VFR minimums, in the category and class it covers — the gate in 14 CFR 61.3(e). It does not make you current. 14 CFR 61.57(c) requires six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses using navigational electronic systems within the preceding six calendar months before you may exercise those privileges. Our page on IFR currency requirements sets out the clock and the grace period, and the instrument proficiency check covers what happens when it runs out.
A Realistic Checklist Before You Enroll
- Open your logbook and total your cross-country pilot-in-command time. That number, not your total time, sets your timeline.
- Confirm your medical certificate is still valid for the privileges you exercise under 61.23.
- Start the ground training and book the knowledge test early, not last.
- Plan on flying two or three times a week. The instrument scan decays faster than any other flying skill.
- Use the simulator to the legal maximum of 20 hours. It is cheaper and, for procedures, better.
- Put the 250-nautical-mile IFR cross-country in the calendar as a whole day, not an afternoon.
Related Reading
- Instrument rating in Los Angeles — the course itself, stage by stage.
- Instrument rating cost — every hour above, priced.
- IFR explained — clearances, approaches and the system you are joining.
- The instrument written exam and the ACS — how the knowledge test is built.
- IFR currency requirements — keeping the rating usable after the checkride.
- Commercial pilot license requirements — the certificate most instrument pilots go on to.
Instrument Rating Requirements FAQ
How Many Hours Do You Need For An Instrument Rating?
Under 14 CFR 61.65(d) you need 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, at least 10 of it in airplanes, and 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, of which 15 hours must come from an authorized instructor holding an instrument-airplane rating. There is no total-time requirement.
Do I Need A Private Pilot License Before The Instrument Rating?
Yes, or you must be applying for one concurrently. 14 CFR 61.65(a)(1) requires at least a current private pilot certificate with an airplane rating appropriate to the instrument rating sought.
What Counts As Cross-Country Time For The Instrument Rating?
Flight time as pilot in command on a flight that included a landing at a point more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure, under the definition in 14 CFR 61.1. It does not have to be flown on instruments, and most of it will not be.
How Much Of The Instrument Rating Can Be Done In A Simulator?
Up to 20 hours of the required 40, from any combination of approved devices, under 14 CFR 61.65(j). Individually, a full flight simulator or flight training device carries up to 20 hours, an advanced aviation training device up to 20 hours, and a basic aviation training device up to 10 hours. A course at a Part 142 training center may credit 30 hours.
What Is The 250 Nautical Mile Cross-Country Requirement?
One cross-country flight in an airplane with an authorized instructor, flown under IFR on a filed flight plan, covering at least 250 nautical miles along airways or by directed routing, with an instrument approach at each airport and three different kinds of approaches using navigation systems. It is required by 14 CFR 61.65(d)(2)(ii).
Is There A Medical Certificate Requirement For The Instrument Rating?
No additional one. You hold whatever 14 CFR 61.23 requires for the privileges you exercise, which is a third-class medical for private pilot privileges. The instrument rating does not change that.
How Long Is The Instrument Written Exam Result Valid?
The calendar month of the test plus 24 calendar months. Pass the practical test inside that window or you take the knowledge test again, which is why we recommend sitting it early in the rating.
What Are The Areas Of Operation On The Instrument Checkride?
The eight in 14 CFR 61.65(c): preflight preparation, preflight procedures, air traffic control clearances and procedures, flight by reference to instruments, navigation systems, instrument approach procedures, emergency operations and postflight procedures. FAA-S-ACS-8C, effective 31 May 2024, expands each into tasks and tolerances.
Bring Your Logbook And We Will Do The Arithmetic
The fastest way to know how long an instrument rating will take you is to total your cross-country pilot-in-command time and work backwards from 50 hours. Book a free consultation and bring the logbook; we will tell you what is missing and what it costs to fill. If you are not a private pilot yet, a 60-minute discovery flight at $229 is the honest first step, flown by you from the left seat and logged as dual instruction. Call (818) 330-1318 any day from 9 AM to 9 PM, or visit us at 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406, on Van Nuys Airport.