What is the Instrument Rating?

The Instrument Rating (IR) enables a pilot who holds a Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) or Commercial Pilot's Licence (CPL) to act as commander of an aircraft in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (flight without reference to external references, i.e. bad weather) and to comply with Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). The qualification is a prerequisite for flying for an airline and most other types of commercial flight operations. Pilots who obtain this rating from EFT are competent to fly in almost all weather conditions and are professionals of the highest calibre. In fact, the first-time flight test pass rate of EFT students in the IR flight test is significantly higher than the industry average - over 90%.

As holder of a CPL, the course duration is 50 hours of instruction, ten of which are conducted in our state-of-the-art Flight/Navigation Procedure Traininer, which is a latest-generation FNPTII simulation model. For a PPL, the course duration is 55 hours. You may choose to conduct initial training at our USA or European base, although the final flight test must always be completed in UK airspace to comply with the aviation authority's requirements.

The first portion of the course teaches the fundamental skills required for full instrument panel and "partial panel" (simulated instrument failures) flying, radio instrument navigation, various types of instrument approaches, holding procedures, and emergency situations. Students then complete the en-route navigation portion of the course in the UK, where the student will also become familiar with local procedures and airspace. Although this transition is without delay, some students decide to complete the entire course in the UK. Holders of an American FAA Instrument Rating are given certain credit when enrolling for the IR course.

Flexible training locations - UK and USA

Training in the USA will generally allow you more cost-effective training in the aircraft and leads to more aircraft time and less simulator time than an instrument rating completed only in the UK; this extra real aircraft flying helps lead to EFT's exceptional pass rate which runs at 80% first time, first series, well above the average!