How much does an instrument rating cost? (Plus 5 tips to save money)

How much does an instrument rating cost? Here we share a baseline cost estimate based on personal experience, that of other pilots, and market research. As with every rating, the cost of your training will vary based on the geography, type of equipment you are flying, experience to date, consistency, and your effort level in studying.
For a textual version of this video, see our article on how much an instrument rating costs at the following link: airplaneacademy.com/how-much-...
My top 5 favorite instrument flying tips: • My Top 5 Favorite IFR ...
Other articles at Airplane Academy related to the instrument rating:
- How long does it take to get an instrument rating? airplaneacademy.com/how-long-...
- Do I need an instrument rating to get a commercial pilots license? airplaneacademy.com/do-i-need...
- 16 actionable tips and tricks for the instrument rating: airplaneacademy.com/16-action...
Read more aviation tips, tricks, and FAQs at airplaneacademy.com
My bio here: airplaneacademy.com/charlie-g...

[@perrysplus]

A great idea is to have a safety pilot and splitting time with him/her. You are overall spending the same amount of money but instead of logging 40hrs you are logging 80hrs (40hrs for you on the hood and 40 for your buddy). OR, find someone that just needs hours and split the bill with him. You can both log the PIC time and it is a win-win.

[@Mannybass]

Man my training is so much more expensive. $190 an hour to rent the plane, $75 an hour for the instructor plus $23 debrief charge after each lesson. I guess I am getting milked up here in Jersey

[@TheGoomba102IsOnYouTube]

thats ridiculous im so sorry

[@Da-Creams]

$23 debrief charge is especially ridiculous

[@Mannybass]

@@Da-Creams tell me about it brother 😩

[@jacobmoore6874]

Look at another airport. There should be alot of small ones.

[@billmoran3812]

Are you in. Part 141 school? Or Part 61? Part 141 schools are a lot more expensive and tend to hit you with extra costs like that.

[@AaronHartwell]

This video resulted in almost 10 minutes of Hobbs time but the engine and prop vibration made the video better. :)

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Ha! Worth it :)

[@timmholzhauer3342]

So you sit in the aircraft with the engine running and doing the video??? Why????? Noise, waste of fuel, exhaust fumes... Don’t get me wrong: I love to fly my Bo, but I try to keep my environmental foortprint to a minimum as far as possible.

[@poppys3728]

@@timmholzhauer3342 Gotta warm up the engine before you take off.

[@timmholzhauer3342]

@@poppys3728 Yes, in winter. But if it’s really really cold you should pre-heat the engine, but that’s a different story. Warming up the engine (the oil) is necessary but doesn’t take 10 min or even more!

[@SJSUa114-CFI]

But he was getting paid because prop spinning…

[@randydicotti3975]

Depends on how many times you fail your IFR check ride. When you shoot approaches instinctively (without thinking about it) you're ready

[@davidrobins4025]

Thank you for a very helpful video with detailed explanation and some super tips.

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Thanks so much and glad it was helpful!

[@sinanstat]

Thank you so much for this very informative and short video!

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Sure thing! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@abbieamavi]

*awesome, very well spoken video!! And I just want to help future/aspiring pilots in training: you can do ground yourself for the IFR written, and save that $300 or so. From a fellow pilot in training for IFR* :)

[@erniehalter]

2 tips you missed. 1) Buying an airplane, if done right can be more affordable than renting. 2) Getting some of your simulated instrument time with a safety pilot vs a CFII.

[@johnokeyo2418]

Awesome video! I got my PPL in 11 weeks for $7200. I'm looking to do the same with the IR. This video is great with tips!

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Awesome! Sounds like you did it pretty efficiently. The more you can fly the more affordable training will be. Best of luck!

[@marthaescarzaga5659]

Woah that's like 3 months how did you do that

[@johnokeyo2418]

@@marthaescarzaga5659 Flew 3-4 times a week. Written & Ground all done upfront. Basically the same ideas Charlie talks about in this video

[@humbledtrader760]

Thanks for this video Charles. Appreciate the information

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Sure thing! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@saulcuellar2743]

Thanks for the tips, great video 👍🏼

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed and that it was helpful.

[@erniewalker5050]

Thank you for this video! Super really helpful. I’m a subscriber!!!

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Awesome! Thank you so much. Excited to have you!

[@shyammohabir8283]

As always .. you never disappoint me - Your videos are spot on! Your honesty and quality information you've disseminating on KZbin are remarkable.

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate this.

[@lilhotdog7011]

I like that you keep it real and use actual numbers

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed.

[@abbieamavi]

*and also I loved tip #4, a great idea!!*

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@irishcurse65]

I paid a large portion of my PPL training up front. They gave a 10% bonus if you prepaid. So put down 3k and now you have 3300 on your account

[@catherinekilgour2563]

With a video like this time stamps would be really helpful. The pricing and requirements are different where I live so I was just wanting to find out what your tips were to see if they would be useful for me going forward as I will potentially be ready to my instrument rating next year.

[@davidmalone9022]

Two comments that immediately occur to me: 1) The requirement is 40 hours instrument time, but only 15 with an instructor. Between lessons, it may serve several purposes in addition to savings to practice the content of the last lesson (or anything you may be having trouble with, e.g., procedure turns) with a friend who is a rated pilot serving as safety pilot, saving the additional cost of an instructor. 2) (and this is, at first glance, going to sound crazy,) is to buy a simple and common airplane that is easily re-sold (e.g., a 172.) I was lucky in that way - I became a pilot specifically to enable a commuting relationship. I finished my single engine rating and bought a 182 for the commute between Pullman (PUW) and Laramie (LAR). I immediately started working on my instrument rating. I don't think I would have gone on for the instrument rating (and certainly wouldn't have rented a plane three or four days at a time) otherwise. Having an airplane not only affords the opportunity to trade maintenance and storage for full cost rentals, but - obviously - gives you an airplane to fly without thinking about how much it's going to cost. It's a tradeoff, but may be a very good one for some. I know that 1700 hours later and 24 years of airplane ownership has left me with no regrets. I'll add just a couple more thoughts about all that latter point. Owning a plane allows you to become familiar with one plane. It allows you to go on multiday trips without worrying about incurring the minimum daily rental. And, if you get stuck somewhere, you won't feel the extra pressure to return because of those extra day rentals. And, if you're going for the rating, one would assume you're serious about "the flying thing." Owning a plane for your instrument rating not only saves money as described, but also introduces you to the realities of owning a plane - both positive and negative.

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Thanks for sharing, David. I spent all 40+ of my instrument training hours with an instructor and didn't utilize that carve-out you are mentioning. I was so overwhelmed by all of it that I was glad to be having the instructor in the right seat, but I know it's different for everyone. And cool story about buying the 182 to commute and get your instrument. I didn't get my 182 until after my instrument and that would have been really awesome to train in my own airplane!

[@johngustaf398]

Wonderful video as always! I love when I see your videos on my feed. Great info and tips but I feel like you missed a huge if not the biggest way to save money during your instrument rating. FLY WITH A SAFETY PILOT. From what I understand you dont need all of those 40 hrs with an instructor.I dont know what your expirence with safety pilots is Charlie but I have asked multiple CFII's, DPE's and checked the Regs about this and they all said you can use a safety pilot to log those 40 hrs. You and your safety pilot can both log PIC time and share the cost of the airplane too. That is probably the biggest money saver I found. If I am wrong about this someone please let me know but this is my understanding.

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Thanks for the comment. Interesting thought. I re-read the regs in 14 CFR 61.65 and you're right that only 15 of the required 40 hours have to be with an instructor, so I suppose the rest could be with a safety pilot. Personally I hadn't considered using a safety pilot during the 40 hours of initial IFR training. At least for me, it felt like I needed almost all 40 of those to be actual instruction and help me build the skills, knowledge, and confidence level to be prepared for the check ride. I don't think I would have been as prepared if some of those hours were just with a safety pilot. So I think it's one of those situations where there is some decision making in what is legal vs. what is safe (at least for me). However, now that I have the rating, I definitely advocate the use of a safety pilot when going to practice approaches and such and it definitely saves money vs. hiring a CFII. I just personally wouldn't use that pre-check ride training. But the regs do seem to allow for it. Good comment.

[@CocoEspada]

Flying with the full 25 under an SP is a sure way to get yourself killed one day. There is too much info to cover in 15 dual hours. Do at least 30 dual 10 SP.

[@carloscid9693]

Dude here in Puerto Rico is 240 an hour on a 150 lol and i have no other choice. The 172's are even more. It has taken me 2 years to get to 34 hours trying to finish my PPL

[@bernardanderson7569]

I appreciate your time and to motivating me to getting back on my online IRA exam studying and as of Sim training I've completed my 20 hours of that time years ago and have been blessed to flying my long IFR cross Country training in actual weather conditions and in the last time I've had a safety pilot with me doing some approaches under the hood and I was told what ever you have in your plane as of Avionics you have to demonstrate that to the FAA examiner on your check ride so I'm staying with the steamer and move up to the Glass afterwards so that is my goal. Troy on KZbin has been my best one to watch on IFR flying and others have been a great influence for me and I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of information about getting my IFR rating

[@AirplaneAcademy]

That's a great point and I agree. You'll need to demonstrate proficiency in whatever equipment is on board (you should have that proficiency anyways) and so there's something to be said for steam gauges on the check ride :)

[@tomedgar4375]

I would be hesitant to pay up front unless I was already familiar with the school, too many milk the students for additional hours

[@downwithreactionaries9031]

Pilotedge would save you tons of money for IFR training. If you passed all I-ratings in pilotedge, you should be in pretty shape to pass the IFR checkride. Home-build simulator is much more helpful for IFR training than PPL.

[@scottwillson5562]

i got mine for about $5000. i did this by flying through my club, with an average airplane cost of $99/hr and my instructor at $40/hr. i did a lot of training on X-Plane which decreased the time i needed with an instructor. i also built a number of hours by splitting the costs with another pilot who acted as safety pilot for me and me for him as we were both working on the same rating.

[@originalspooky760]

Those are some great tips. I have a yoke and pedals as well as Xplane and FSX (soon to be 2020) so I'd imagine that would be a great way to do some practice before flying. How do you mitigate the tendency to build bad habits?

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Nice, the club rate really helps.

[@scottwillson5562]

@@originalspooky760 I almost forgot, with X-Plane I also used PilotEdge which if you don't know is invaluable, providing real ATC communications in the SIM. Not sure if Microsofts new SIM will do that or not.

[@originalspooky760]

@@scottwillson5562 I have heard of VATSim, but I haven't heard of PilotEdge. I'll check it out. Nothing wrong with using more than one simulator. Thanks for the tip.

[@scottwillson5562]

@@originalspooky760 checklists. even on the sim.

[@jmj8355]

Not sure why the 50 pic xc never gets mentioned for part 61 instrument rating. That a significant extra cost not factored in.

[@riod43]

Can you log PIC time durring duel training for instrument since technically you are sole manipulator of the controls with a PPL?

[@feidelsol]

Thank you Charlie for the informative breakdowns!! Which King School Instrument Rating online course would you recommend? They offer 4 different packages. Please advise when you have a chance. Much appreciated!!!

[@AirplaneAcademy]

It depends what you are looking for - if you're just needing it for the written I'd just do the written test option. If you need to supplement your flight school or instructor, their check ride add on is good too. Personally I'd probably just get the written portion but it's totally up to you.

[@davidmalone9022]

Sorry if this is way too late for you; however, I've long been a big fan of Sporty's videos. I just looked at the King courses. It appears that the Sporty's programs are also less expensive. You might take a look if you are still looking.

[@Itsjoe1986]

Charlie, would you recommend getting your instrument rating right after your PPL? Or would you wait and get some time/experience, letting that initial information “soak in”? I live in Washington State and would want my instrument eventually. Love the content, Thanks!

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Hi Joe - if I could go back and do it again I would 100% get my instrument rating right after my PPL. It's expensive to do that back to back, but if you are able to do it, it's good to stay in the training and consistency groove. Plus, having your instrument will even make you a much better VFR pilot in a lot of ways. I waited like 7 years in between my PPL and IR and wish I would have done it sooner. But if you decide to wait, that obviously works, too. I just know from personal experience that it can be hard to start the training routine again once you're out of it, since it's time consuming. So if you can stay in that groove it probably increases your chances of finishing.

[@StrokeMahEgo]

At the end of the video, tower: "thanks for the tips, but your PTT was held down"

[@tangoromeo1739]

i wounder if there is a commercial pilots who dont have ifr rating??

[@dodgedoby]

would it help me to be better if I buy a yoke and a throttle and practice at home ? P.S: It cost around 500 USD to get a an affordable yoke and throttle

[@trulysurprised-bk7cy]

I feel in my area you're light on cost. I believe I was told 11k by the time a person was finished.

[@mattbasford6299]

All private pilots already have at least 3 hours simulated instruments. Also, my instructor was only with me for about 15 of the 37 hours

[@flyfreeandsoar7505]

According to 61.65 only 15 hours are required to be with an instructor.

[@MichaelLloyd]

"The worst thing you can do is get 1/2 way and then stop" Raises hand...

[@MichaelLloyd]

@@TheUmmacdan Congratulations! I've been doing ground schools for two years. Not because I'm slow (lol) because I can't find an IFR aircraft to rent for training. The elusive $40,000 - $60,000 C182 to buy hasn't materialized. Everything I've found is at least twice that. But I'm patient... something will turn up.

[@randc47]

I’m there with my private. Was around 30 hours and COVID hit. Haven’t flown since March. Ugh!

[@tomsmith3045]

@@randc47 keep at it, and don't worry about the break. Will you be rusty? Sure, but when you pick up those skills again, my belief is that you'll learn it deeper. Doing all the training at once is certainly faster and more efficient, but I don't think any training is wasted, and I do believe there's an advantage to spaced repetition, vs high intensity training.

[@petesheppard1709]

Another way to hold down the cost of IFR training is to join the Civil Air Patrol; aircraft cost is less than FBOs and the instruction is at no cost. That's how I was able to afford my instrument rating back in the '00s (sorry, I can't remember the charge for a plane, but it was much less than an FBO aircraft). UNDERSTAND that the CAP also has its own committments, but the satisfaction of serving others through aviation is something that cannot be priced!

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Great suggestion! Thank you for sharing.

[@originalspooky760]

I totally agree with the concept of learn on the analog technology and then transition up to glass. While I am not a pilot yet I much prefer to learn a skill completely before I let technology help me out. On another note it seems like you are a proponent of accelerated training. I am considering an accelerated course for my PPL (2-3 weeks, multiple flights per day with checkride at the end). Have you heard any pros/cons of programs like this? I am in ground school now, have had ground school before (long time ago) and am pretty well versed with the theories of flight, navigation, aerodynamics, etc. I am thinking taking a few weeks off and just knocking it out with no distractions may be the way to go but I'd be interested in other perspectives. Love your content by the way. I have been eyeballing 182's. May have to start a gofundme. :-)

[@AirplaneAcademy]

I haven't done an actual accelerated (2-3 week) program for PPL or instrument rating, that sort of thing. My instrument I was just able to fly at least 2-3 times per week which was really helpful in keeping the pace going. I think the accelerated programs can work, it seems like a lot of information to be gaining pretty rapidly but that doesn't mean it's bad. I am considering doing it for my CFI though so I'll have a better idea then :)

[@kotylee7722]

So maybe a dumb question, but is there anything that says you cant pursue your PPL and IFR rating together? I.e. the instructor takes you up and you they teach you IFR flying to garner the hours for your PPL? I probably sound ignorant but thats because i am

[@AirplaneAcademy]

Not a dumb question. There are definitely some things you can do to double dip some of your training but there isn't a ton of overlap in the flight requirements or subject matter. But if you plan to get your instrument rating, it's good to communicate that to your instructor(s) during your PPL so that you can try to combine some of the flight requirements where possible. That's also true for your commercial. But you'll need your PPL before you can get your IR.

[@Kaimine08]

Another way is to get a safety pilot. I believe you need 15 hours of CFI time and the rest can be done with a safety pilot. They may not ask for money so that'll save on cash. Make sure you take a few flights with him/her to see what kind of pilot they are. Last thing you want is someone you can't jive with.

[@StevenLeoKorell]

"FLY OFTEN" Experienced and seen the struggle by anyone taking breaks.

[@TheyCallMeCelery]

Am I being ripped off? Ive spent about 12K so far for my training and I take my checkride this week. It costs $145 an hour to rent an aircraft, $40 an hour for fuel, and $40 an hour for an instructor. I have about 40 hours right now maybe plus or minus 2 hours

[@dylanc6059]

What aircraft are you flying? In my area you can find a IFR certified rental for around $125hr wet.

[@TheyCallMeCelery]

Dylan C I fly a piper archer. Thing is most flight schools in my area are of the same or very similar price. (Pittsburgh, PA area) . I went to school at a community college under part 141 and fly 141 so my flight school needs to be approved under my college and there are probably about 5 schools I can choose from. If everyone else is getting flights much cheaper than this but the 5 I can choose are the same prices I listed it seems like some kind of scam and idk if this is something I report but to who or how I have no idea. Fuck. Now im stressed.

[@randc47]

That’s cheap! I fly out of Scottsdale airport and while the rates are expensive, it’s a good school. Sooo...I dunno.

[@TheyCallMeCelery]

Randy Carlson what are your rates? These all seem to vary way more than I would of thought based on location.

[@randc47]

Ethan, I just looked. Haven’t flown since March...stupid COVID! I was wrong on the costs. I fly new 172s with g1000s. I pay $130/hr, $61.10/hr fuel and $70/hr instruction. According to my last invoice.

[@HoundDogMech]

IT's only money. If I don't spend it my kids or wife's next husband will. Injune of 1970 when I took my first Lesson it was $10/hr wet & $5 for the Instructor. I was making $2/hr on a Tool & Die Apprenticeship. So I had to work 10 hours minus Taxes to fly one hour. Now Its $125 +$60/Hour or $175/hr and at What people earn today, the Per hour Worked to fly 1 hour is actually cheaper/less. Unless you're working at Mickey D's or a Tool & Die maker apprentice. Now plumbers make a lot more. But then knowing that Pay Day is on Friday and SH*T don't flow up hill is not that tuff. Sorry Plumbers I just had too.

[@irestrepo2788]

In other words, you better be born rich! Working class need not apply.

[@user-uo4dq5zi7d]

Correct. Pretty much anything aviation is going to be very expensive. But, if you are really good at analyzing and cutting costs, it is within reach for many people, even if they have to rent the planes they fly.