Certificate program

The rating that makes you a real all-weather pilot.

The instrument rating is the most important training you will do after your private. It is where you learn to trust your instruments, manage the system, and fly safely when the weather closes in.

Instrument training in the Piper Warrior at North Aero

Program overview

Fly the system, not just the airplane

An instrument rating lets you fly under instrument flight rules, in the clouds, and into busier airspace with a clearance. More than the privileges, it changes how you think: precise scans, disciplined procedures, and the judgment to make good weather decisions.

We train it the North Aero way, scenario-based and demanding, over some of the most useful instrument-flying terrain in the country. The Monterey Bay marine layer is a classroom most schools would envy.

Instrument scan

Attitude instrument flying until your cross-check is smooth and reliable, on full panel and partial panel.

Approaches

ILS, RNAV/GPS, VOR, and circling approaches flown to standard, including missed approaches and the decisions that go with them.

Holding & en route

Holds, course intercepting and tracking, and managing an IFR clearance from taxi to touchdown.

Weather & planning

Reading real weather, filing, and making honest go/no-go decisions, the part of instrument flying that actually keeps you alive.

Avionics & automation

Using the GPS and autopilot as tools without becoming dependent on them. Hand-fly first, automate second.

Failures

Partial panel, lost comms, and equipment failures practiced until they are procedure, not panic.

FAA requirements

Part 61 requirements

These are the FAA minimums under 14 CFR 61.65 for an instrument-airplane rating. Most pilots train a little beyond the minimums; we will give you an honest estimate for your situation.

Hold at least a private pilot certificate (or be applying for one concurrently)
Read, speak, write, and understand English
50 hours of cross-country flight time as PIC, at least 10 of them in an airplane
40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time
15 hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor
One IFR cross-country of at least 250 nm along airways or ATC-directed routing, with an instrument approach at each airport and three different kinds of approaches
3 hours of instrument training within 2 calendar months before the checkride
Pass the FAA instrument knowledge test (written)
Pass the FAA instrument practical test (checkride)

Investment

Timeline and cost

Instrument cost depends on how much actual instrument time you log, your starting experience, and how often you fly. Our rates are simple and published: the Warrior is $200/hr and instruction is $160/hr, and that instruction rate covers your full brief, flight, and debrief.

Instead of publishing a one-size-fits-all program total, we build your written estimate at your discovery flight, based on your logbook and your goals. You leave with real numbers for your situation, not an average.

Schedule a discovery flight See all rates