Overview
Don’t let the clouds weigh you down – fly when and where you want!
Gaining your single or multi-engine instrument rating means you can legally fly in the clouds, rain and fog, broadening your aviation skills and keeping you in the air instead of on the ground during inclement weather. Furthermore, as most professional aviation organisations require pilots to be instrument rated, it’s a necessary step for those looking to become an airline, corporate or charter pilot.
Since flying in inclement weather with no visual reference to the ground can be dangerous, instrument training requires a great deal of professionalism, leaving no room for mistakes or carelessness. The Command Instrument Rating (CIR) is one of the most challenging and rewarding flight ratings a pilot can obtain, however you’ll need to be able to follow procedures and multi-task to succeed. If you’re trained well and gain proficiency however, IFR flight can be very rewarding.
Aircraft Australia offers both single and multi-engine Command Instrument Rating (CIR) programs.
Aircraft
Aircraft Australia’s fleet available for the CIR includes:
- Cessna 172
- Partenavia P68B
- Cessna 310
- Beechcraft Baron
- Piper Navajo Chieftain
Course Outline
Before you begin your CIR training with Aircraft Australia, you will need to hold a PPL or greater and must have passed the Instrument Rating Written Examination (IREX). Aircraft Australia can assist you with learning the challenging theory for the IREX.
As a CIR authorises the holder to act as Pilot In Command (PIC) of flights under the IFR by day and by night in single pilot operations, Aircraft Australia’s program covers departures, arrivals and instrument approach procedures, as well as en-route operations.
You’ll be able to choose from 2D (NDB, VOR and DGAs) and 3D (ILS, LLZ and RNAV (GNSS)) instrument approaches and en-route operations on the NDB, VOR and GPS. At Aircraft Australia, part of your instrument training will be conducted in the simulator.
The following experience standards for each aircraft endorsement apply (the experience can be in aircraft or a flight simulation training device approved for the purpose):
- Single-engine aeroplane endorsement – at least 10 hours of dual instrument time in an aeroplane and at least five hours experience at night as the pilot of an aeroplane (including at least one hour of dual flight and one hour of solo night circuits).
- Multi-engine aeroplane endorsement – at least 10 hours of dual instrument time in a multi-engine aeroplane and at least five hours at night as pilot of an aeroplane (including at least one hour of dual flight and one hour of solo night circuits).
Before sitting the CIR flight test, you’ll need to have the following aeronautical experience in an aircraft of the same category that the flight test will be conducted in. Your experience standard hours can contribute to the following requirements:
- 50 hours cross-country flight time as PIC
- 40 hours of instrument time, including at least 10 hours of dual instrument time plus 20 hours of instrument flight time or 10 hours of instrument flight time if the training is conducted in a flight simulator.
The Cost
Contact the Aircraft Australia team to discuss starting your Command Instrument Rating today.
