Earn Your Instrument Rating
Not only does an instrument rating enable you to fly in the flight levels and into visibility-limited conditions, instrument training makes you a better, more-capable pilot.
Becoming an instrument-rated pilot allows any Private- or Commercial-Certificated pilot to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). With The Flight School at Colorado Springs, students learn to navigate and control an aircraft without reference to the horizon or the ground beneath them.
Instrument Rating Requirements
- Current Private or Commercial Pilot
- 3 Hrs Training, 2 Calendar Months Before Test
- Pass the Knowledge Test (Written Exam)
- XC Flight must be filed with ATC
- XC Includes 3 Types of Inst. Approaches
- XC Must Include Instr. Approach at Each Airport
Pilots applying for an instrument rating must hold a current Private Pilot or Commercial Pilot Certificate. We recommend obtaining an Instrument Rating at the Private Level.
Applicants must:
- Read, speak, write, understand english (unless restricted)
- Pass the knowledge test (written) and practical exam (oral & flight).
- Have received/logged ground and flight training from an authorized flight instructor.
The practical exams require endorsement from a qualified flight instructor. Our flight instructors will only endorse you once we are certain you have what it takes to pass.
You must remain qualified to act as Pilot In Command.
To apply for the exams to become Instrument Rated, you must also:
- Receive a knowledge test endorsement per 61.103(d)
- Receive logbook endorsements for practical test
- Obtain aeronautical experience per 61.65, including:
- 50 Hours of Cross-Country PIC Time
- 40 Hours of actual or simulated instrument flight time, which includes the following:
- 15 Hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor (CFII)
- 3 Hours of instruction, received within the 2 calendar months before the date of the practical test
- An instrument cross-country flight:
- At least 250 nautical miles along airways or by directed routing from ATC
- Three different kinds of instrument approaches
- An instrument at each airport
- Under IFR, on a flight plan
- 15 Hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor (CFII)
Save Money on Your Instrument Rating
Obtaining an instrument rating often costs as much as becoming a Private Pilot in the first place. But we’ve come up with a few tips and tricks to save you money. These include progressing immediately from Private Pilot to your Instrument Training, spending more time in a simulator and more!
Savings with The Flight School
Our career-focused instrument program goes beyond your instrument training and equips you with many of the hour requirements for commercial training, too. The extra practice ensures you’ll be better prepared for your instrument check ride (one of the most-failed checkrides out there) and can fly quickly through to your commercial and instructor certificates, as well.
Unfortunately, this unique training program means the sticker price on achieving an instrument rating with The Flight School appears much higher than with other schools. But because we approach your training with the big picture in mind, it’ll actually save you money in the long run. Below is a breakdown of our instrument and commercial training programs relative to the costs of our nearest competitors!
The Flight School at Colorado Springs
"Peak Aviation" Minimum Cost
"Springs Aviation" Minimum Cost
*Competitor prices are based on aircraft and instruction rates as of November, 2023. Competitor programs do not reflect the added cost-savings of efficiency and design our program provides, but do include all the same rating and certification requirements and add-on products.
Competitor prices also assume you can split time using their aircraft, though not all competitors may allow this. We make no guarantees as to the complete accuracy of this information. Prices subject to change.
**Peak Aviation’s website estimates an instrument training cost of $17,429. Our calculation assumes students use the company’s least-expensive aircraft. Our programs assume use of our most-expensive aircraft…and we’re still more affordable.
- 2 to 4 Weeks
- $5,250
- 50 Hours Simulator Time, 50 Hours Instrument Instruction
- Prerequisite: Instrument Ground School
- Approximately Two Weeks
- $3,605
- 17 Hours Instrument Flight Time, 20 Hours Instrument Instruction
- Prerequisite: Instrument Simulator Time
- Two to Four Weeks
- $8,100
- 100 Hours of Split Instrument XC Time
- Prerequisite: Instrument Flight Training
IFR FAQ
We recommend every pilot earn an instrument rating. Even if you never fly on an instrument flight plan, the training will make you a better, safer pilot.
That said, if you don’t plan to ever fly into IMC and don’t plan to fly for hire, you don’t need an instrument rating to carry passengers or fly under the limitations of a Private Pilot certificate. You can also become a commercial pilot without an instrument rating, but your privileges are severely restricted.
No, you do not need to follow our training outline. We can provide instrument training without considering commercial training by reducing hours spent in the simulator and hours spent splitting time. This will reduce the overall cost of the instrument program, but you’ll still need to accomplish additional requirements if you pursue a commercial certificate in the future.
We recommend students use our Mooney M20C for instrument training. At a cost lower than neighboring schools charge for fixed-gear IFR-equipped aircraft, you can build time in a complex (retractable gear) aircraft. This specialized time looks great on resumes and can help with insurance premiums if you ever decide to purchase your own retractable-gear aircraft.
As everyone learns at a different pace, no students’ overall training costs are exactly the same. Typically, we recommend budgeting around $20,000. We do our best to help you accomplish your instrument training for less with virtual accelerated training and pre-pay deals:
- Instrument Simulator Pre-Pay Offer – $6,250
- Instrument Flight Pre-Pay Offer – $4,047
- Instrument Time-Building Pre-Pay Offer – $5,940
- Instrument Rating Virtual Ground School – $500
Remember to budget for the additional costs of training: driving to and from the airport can rack up fuel expenses, as can taking time off work!
