Earning an instrument rating is the single biggest leap in your flying skill since solo. It's also the rating with the most confusing requirements — split between PIC cross-country time, instrument flight time, dual instrument time, and a long cross-country with very specific rules. This page walks through every requirement in FAR 61.65, shows how the hours stack, and tells you exactly what your logbook needs to look like before you can sign up for the checkride.
Eligibility Prerequisites
Before you log a single hour toward the rating, you need to meet the basic eligibility requirements in FAR 61.65(a):
- Hold at least a current private pilot certificate (or be applying for one concurrently)
- Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English
- Receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course
- Receive a logbook endorsement from your instructor certifying you're prepared for the knowledge test
- Pass the instrument knowledge test (60 questions, 70% to pass)
- Receive a logbook endorsement certifying you're prepared for the practical test
- Pass the instrument practical test (checkride) with a Designated Pilot Examiner
There is no minimum age specified separately for the instrument rating beyond holding the underlying private certificate (which requires age 17). There is also no medical certificate requirement specific to instrument — your existing third-class medical or BasicMed is sufficient, though BasicMed pilots have specific operational limits unrelated to the rating itself.
Aeronautical Experience: The Hours You Need
This is where most students get tangled. FAR 61.65(d) lays out four buckets of time, and they overlap in tricky ways.
1. Fifty Hours of Cross-Country PIC
You need at least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes (if you're pursuing the airplane instrument rating). Most private pilots already have a chunk of this from their PPL training and post-checkride flying. Cross-country here uses the standard definition from FAR 61.1 — a flight with a landing at a point more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure.
2. Forty Hours of Actual or Simulated Instrument Time
You need 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, of which at least 15 hours must be with an authorized instrument instructor (CFII) in the aircraft category for which the rating is sought. The remaining 25 hours can be:
- Simulated instrument under the hood with a safety pilot (see FAR 91.109)
- Actual instrument time logged anytime you operate solely by reference to instruments in IMC
- A combination of both
Up to 20 hours can be completed in an approved flight simulator, FTD, or ATD when training under Part 61 (more if you're under Part 142 or an approved Part 141 program). Read the device's LOA carefully — BATD vs. AATD vs. FTD have different credit limits.
3. The Long IFR Cross-Country
The instrument cross-country is the requirement everyone underestimates. Per FAR 61.65(d)(2)(ii), you need one cross-country flight in the aircraft category for the rating that is:
- Performed under IFR (filed and flown on an instrument flight plan)
- A distance of at least 250 nautical miles along airways or ATC-directed routing
- An instrument approach at each airport
- Three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems (e.g., ILS, RNAV/LPV, VOR, LOC, LDA)
Note: the 250 NM is along the route flown — not point-to-point straight-line. Plan your routing accordingly.
4. Three Hours of Test Prep
Within 2 calendar months before your checkride, you need 3 hours of instrument flight training with a CFII in the appropriate category in preparation for the practical test.
Hours Snapshot Table
| Requirement | Minimum | FAR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-country PIC | 50 hrs | 61.65(d)(2)(i) | 10 hrs must be in airplanes |
| Total instrument time | 40 hrs | 61.65(d)(2) | Actual or simulated |
| Instrument with CFII | 15 hrs | 61.65(d)(2) | In category for rating |
| Long IFR cross-country | 250 NM | 61.65(d)(2)(ii) | 3 different approaches |
| Test prep with CFII | 3 hrs | 61.65(d)(2) | Within 2 calendar months of checkride |
| Knowledge test score | 70% | 61.65(b) | 60 questions, 2.5 hrs |
The Knowledge Test
The FAA Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA) knowledge test is 60 multiple-choice questions drawn from the published ACS for Instrument Rating. You have 2 hours 30 minutes. Passing is 70%. Topics include:
- Regulations (Parts 61, 71, 91, 95, 97)
- IFR navigation, charts, and procedures
- Air traffic control and clearances
- Weather: products, theory, and decision-making
- Aircraft systems and instruments (including failure modes)
- IFR flight planning and fuel requirements (FAR 91.167)
- Holding, intercepts, approaches, and missed approaches
- Aeromedical factors and spatial disorientation
Your test results are valid for 24 calendar months — if you don't take the checkride in that window, you re-test.
The Practical Test (Checkride)
The instrument checkride follows the Instrument Rating – Airplane ACS (FAA-S-ACS-8). The DPE will quiz you on the ground for 1.5–3 hours, then fly with you for roughly 1.5–2 hours covering:
- Preflight planning (weather, NOTAMs, performance, fuel, alternates)
- Air traffic control clearances and procedures
- Flight by reference to instruments (basic attitude instrument flying, recovery from unusual attitudes, partial panel)
- Navigation systems (GPS, VOR, ILS — including RNAV approaches with LPV minimums)
- Instrument approach procedures (precision, nonprecision, circling, missed)
- Holding procedures
- Emergency operations including loss of communications and partial panel
- Postflight procedures
Expect the examiner to issue a clearance you weren't expecting, vector you off your planned route, and fail at least one instrument or system in flight. The ACS specifies that you must demonstrate proficiency without exceeding ±100 feet of altitude, ±10 knots of airspeed, and ±10° of heading during basic instrument flying tasks — and tighter on approaches.
Currency After You Pass: FAR 61.57(c)
The rating doesn't expire, but your IFR currency does. Under FAR 61.57(c), to act as PIC under IFR or in IMC you must, within the preceding 6 calendar months, have logged in actual or simulated instrument conditions:
- Six instrument approaches
- Holding procedures and tasks
- Intercepting and tracking courses through the use of navigational electronic systems
If you blow the 6-month window, you have an additional 6 months to regain currency by yourself or with a safety pilot. After 12 months of non-currency, you need an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) with a CFII, examiner, or other authorized evaluator.
Realistic Cost and Timeline
Most students complete the instrument rating in 3–6 months of consistent training, flying 2–3 times per week. Total cost varies dramatically by region and aircraft, but typical ranges:
| Item | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Aircraft rental (40 hrs @ $180/hr) | $7,200 |
| CFII instruction (35 hrs @ $80/hr) | $2,800 |
| Simulator/ATD time | $500–$1,500 |
| Knowledge test | $175 |
| DPE fee | $800–$1,200 |
| Books, charts, headset upgrades | $300–$600 |
| Total | $11,000–$15,000 |
Part 141 schools sometimes shave hours off (35 hr instrument minimum vs. 40 hr Part 61) but add structure costs.
Part 61 vs. Part 141
| Requirement | Part 61 | Part 141 |
|---|---|---|
| Total instrument time | 40 hrs | 35 hrs |
| Long IFR cross-country | 250 NM | 250 NM |
| Cross-country PIC | 50 hrs | Not required |
| Syllabus | Flexible | FAA-approved, rigid |
| Stage checks | No | Yes |
If you're already a working pilot building hours, Part 61 is usually cheaper and faster because you've already met the 50-hour XC PIC requirement. If you're zero-to-hero, Part 141 may shave time.
How GroundScholar helps with this
The instrument rating is the rating where ground knowledge separates you from a pilot who busts the checkride. GroundScholar's AI examiner runs you through scenario-based oral questioning that mirrors how real DPEs probe — clearance interpretation, alternate selection under FAR 91.169, partial-panel decision making, and approach chart briefings. Every regulation citation is verified against the live FAR/AIM, so when the AI says "FAR 61.57(c) requires six approaches in the past six months," that cite is current.
Before your checkride, run a full mock oral plus pass-prediction in the Instrument ACS area. The system identifies the two or three weak spots you'd otherwise fail on — usually weather decision-making, holding entries, or the regulatory math around alternates and fuel — and drills them until they're automatic. It is not a replacement for your CFII, but it is the cheapest way to walk into the checkride knowing you'll pass.
Ready to start prepping?
The instrument rating rewards preparation more than any other certificate. If you've got the hours, the gap between you and "DPE recommends pass" is oral exam fluency. Build it the smart way.