Eligibility
According to CFR14 Part 61, to be eligible for an Instrument Rating, a pilot must hold at least a Private Pilot certificate, and be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language, and pass both the written knowledge exam (“the written”) and the Practical exam (“the checkride.”)
Experience
A person applying for an Instrument Rating license must:
Log a minimum of 50 hours of cross-country Pilot In Command (PIC) time.
40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time.
Conduct a cross-country flight under Instrument Flight Rules of at least 250 nautical miles, with three different kinds of instrument approaches at each airport.
This is a simplified summary of the experience requirements mandated by the FAA. It is not intended to be an exhaustive review of the regulations, but to give you an idea of what to expect in your primary flight training. For the complete FAA guidelines, please review 14 CFR Part 61.65.
Process
At Fly-NC, earning your Instrument Rating is about more than passing a checkride—it’s about building a level of comfort, clarity, and confidence in IFR flying that lasts for your entire flying career. From day one, our training is rooted in real-world application, not isolated procedures or textbook scenarios.
Instrument training can often feel fragmented—approaches, holds, clearances, and procedures taught out of context can be confusing for even the most motivated students. At Fly-NC, we approach it differently. Every aspect of your training—Instrument Approaches, Arrival and Departure Procedures, ATC Clearances, Enroute Navigation, and Holding Patterns—is taught as part of a cohesive cross-country IFR operation. We don’t just explain what to do; we show you how, when, and why in real-world conditions.
You’ll gain early exposure to actual system operations: loading and flying full procedures, copying real IFR clearances, talking confidently with ATC, and making go/no-go decisions with sound judgment. When the picture comes together, IFR flying becomes second nature—and many of our students find themselves choosing to file IFR even on perfect VFR days, simply because they’re that comfortable with the system.
By the end of your training at Fly-NC, you won’t just be instrument-rated—you’ll be instrument-proficient, capable of safely and efficiently operating in the IFR environment with confidence, professionalism, and ease.
