The FalKor Aviation Academy Instrument Rating program includes:

• 40 hours in our glass-equipped Cessna 172S fleet
• 40 hours of flight instruction with a CFII
• Approximately 20 flight events, including two stage checks
• A 0.5-hour preflight and postflight briefing with every flight event
• 15 structured two-hour ground lessons
• Two formal stage checks
• Two hours of ground evaluation during each stage check

Stage-check aircraft and flight-instruction time are included within the 40-hour flight estimate.

Stage I — Instrument Fundamentals

Develop the foundational skills needed to control and navigate the aircraft primarily by reference to flight instruments.

Training includes:

• Instrument cockpit checks
• Aircraft control by reference to instruments
• Instrument scan development
• Straight-and-level flight, climbs, descents, and turns
• Unusual-attitude recovery
• Partial-panel and equipment-failure procedures
• Navigation-system operation
• Air traffic control clearances and communications
• Holding procedures
• Aeronautical decision-making and workload management

Stage II — Instrument Procedures and Cross-Country Operations

Apply instrument-flying fundamentals to real-world IFR procedures and cross-country flight operations.

Training includes:

• IFR flight planning
• Weather analysis and go/no-go decisions
• IFR clearances and departure procedures
• En route navigation
• Holding procedures
• Arrival procedures
• Precision and nonprecision approaches
• GPS-based instrument approaches
• Missed approaches
• Circling approaches
• Diversions and amended clearances
• Lost-communication procedures
• The required IFR cross-country flight

Stage II concludes with the first formal stage check, consisting of a two-hour ground evaluation, a 1.5-hour flight evaluation, and the standard 0.5-hour briefing.

Stage III — Checkride Preparation

Refine your instrument skills and prepare for the FAA practical test through scenario-based training, mock oral evaluations, and complete IFR flight profiles.

Training emphasizes:

• Consistent aircraft control
• Approach setup and avionics management
• Weather-based decision-making
• Holding and approach clearances
• Abnormal and emergency procedures
• Instrument and navigation-system failures
• Single-pilot resource management
• Practical-test standards
• Checkride preparation and endorsements

The course concludes with a final stage check consisting of a two-hour ground evaluation, a 1.5-hour flight evaluation, and the standard 0.5-hour briefing.

Applicants who have passed the FAA knowledge test, completed or nearly completed the cross-country pilot-in-command requirement, and train consistently can typically complete the Instrument Rating in approximately two to four months.

Instrument skills are highly perishable. Extended breaks between lessons can lead to skill loss, repeated training, and increased completion costs.

For the best results, we recommend completing three to six flight and ground training sessions each week. Students who arrive prepared and maintain a consistent schedule generally progress more efficiently through instrument procedures, cross-country operations, and checkride preparation.

Completion time may vary based on weather, aircraft availability, applicant preparation, prior instrument experience, and individual proficiency.

The following estimate is based on completing the full program in FalKor Aviation Academy’s glass-equipped Cessna 172S fleet.

Glass-Equipped Cessna 172S

Stage-check aircraft and flight-instruction time are included within the 40-hour estimate.

Eligible instrument time completed before enrollment may reduce the remaining training requirement after a review of the applicant’s logbook. Additional aircraft time needed to complete the 50-hour cross-country pilot-in-command requirement is not included in this estimate.

Students are billed only for the aircraft and instruction they use.

Unlike the Sport and Private Pilot courses, our Instrument Rating estimate is built around the FAA-required 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time.

We have found that most properly prepared applicants can complete the course within this timeline when they:

• Enter with strong Private Pilot skills
• Have passed the FAA knowledge test
• Have completed or nearly completed the cross-country PIC requirement
• Prepare before each lesson
• Train consistently without extended breaks

However, FalKor’s program includes more than a minimum-hour flight package. All 40 flight hours include instruction from a CFII, and the course also includes structured ground lessons, preflight and postflight briefings, and two formal stage checks.

The result is a realistic estimate that remains close to the FAA instrument-time requirement without excluding the academic preparation and evaluation needed to become a capable instrument pilot.

Course estimates do not include:

• Sporty’s Instrument Rating ground-school course, unless included with enrollment
• FAA knowledge-test fee
• Designated Pilot Examiner fee
• FAA medical examination, when applicable
• Renter’s insurance
• Headset, charts, electronic flight-bag subscriptions, or other pilot supplies
• Additional cross-country time needed to meet the 50-hour PIC requirement
• Additional instruction required to reach practical-test standards

Course estimates are provided for planning purposes and are not fixed-price guarantees. Final costs may vary based on preparation, training frequency, weather, aircraft availability, prior experience, and individual proficiency.

• Pay as you go (pay for each lesson as you complete them.)
• Discount "block time": Purchase 10 hours of flight time for a 10% discount. As long as you have hours on your contract, you just pay for the instructional time. 
• Program Financing. Finance up to 100% of your flight training, including deferred funding options via:
  • Stratus Financial. (Coming soon)
  • Affirm (Coming soon)
  • AOPA Financing https://finance.aopa.org/flight-training-finance 
  • Grant and Scholarship Programs: Click here

Before completing the Instrument Rating program, applicants must:

• Hold at least a Private Pilot Certificate with an airplane rating
• Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English
• Log at least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, including at least 10 hours in airplanes
• Complete the required ground and flight training
• Pass the FAA Instrument Rating–Airplane knowledge test
• Receive the required instructor endorsements
• Pass the FAA practical test

Applicants may begin instrument training before completing all 50 hours of cross-country pilot-in-command time, but the requirement must be satisfied before the practical test. A logbook review will be completed before enrollment to identify any remaining cross-country or instrument-experience requirements.

Complete the Written Exam First

We strongly recommend completing and passing the FAA knowledge test before beginning the Instrument Rating course.

Arriving with the written examination complete allows your classroom and flight instruction to focus on practical application, including weather decisions, flight planning, instrument procedures, avionics management, and checkride preparation.

A passing FAA knowledge-test result is generally valid for 24 calendar months after the month in which the test was completed.

FAA 61.109

For an Instrument–Airplane Rating, the FAA requires:

The required instrument cross-country must be completed in an airplane with an authorized instructor under IFR on a filed flight plan. It must include at least 250 nautical miles along airways or air traffic control-directed routing, an instrument approach at each airport, and three different kinds of approaches using navigation systems.

Although the FAA requires only 15 of the 40 instrument hours to be completed with an appropriately rated instructor, FalKor’s estimate includes a CFII for all 40 hours. This provides continuous instruction, evaluation, scenario development, and preparation throughout the course.

The current FAA Instrument Rating–Airplane practical test is conducted under the Instrument Rating–Airplane Airman Certification Standards.