Instrument Training
Overview
At Mike Goulian Aviation, we believe that adding an Instrument rating to an existing Pilot’s certificate is just a natural step towards making a safer pilot. In addition to allowing you to fly in all weather conditions, it opens up a whole different world of aviation – from flying in and out of New York’s busy Class B airports, to flying through and above clouds for that added tailwind. It adds a layer of safety, precision and expertise to your existing flying skills.
We are a dedicated team that embodies the Cirrus life and who embrace a structured approach to training new and experienced pilots. Using Cirrus’ training resources in addition to Sporty’s syllabus, our mentor pilots not only help you prepare for the Instrument rating tests but build proficiency and confidence in a thorough scenario-based learning experience.
Steps to becoming an Instrument Rated Pilot:
→ If you are new to flying a Cirrus Aircraft
If you’re new to Cirrus, you will first go through a Transition course with your instructor and attain a VFR checkout. This can be done over 3 full days or 6 half days of training which will then give you the opportunity to build PIC time yourself and gain more avionics and systems specific experience. In addition to the 3-day course, the ‘ground’ portion of this course is completed with thorough Cirrus Aircraft videos, found in their learning catalog. More information on this course is on our website here.
→ Complete ground training through a home-study course:
Our pilots use the Sporty’s online Instrument Course which covers topics like instrument flying fundamentals, air traffic control, instrument approaches, en route IFR, weather, FARs and more.
This online video training (computer or mobile device) program has a complete training course outline which allows your instructor to follow along with your progress, set goals, and structure lesson plans to help you progress in your training. The Sporty’s course also includes a constructive test-prep feature to help prepare you for your written test.
→ Pass a written knowledge exam with a grade of at least 70 percent:
Once you have completed the on-line ground training course, your instructor must ensure your understanding of the material before you take the FAA knowledge exam. This involves going to an FAA-approved testing center and answering 60 multiple-choice questions in 2.5 hours.
→ Complete, at a minimum, 40 hours of actual or simulated Instrument time with your instructor and 50 hours of PIC cross-country flight time:
As many of the training flights with your instructor will be cross countries, these hours can be counted towards your 50 hours PIC cross country time requirement. 20 hours of your required 40 hours of instrument time can be accomplished on our state-of-the-art AATD simulator.
→ Pass a practical flying test (known as a “checkride”) administered by an FAA-designated evaluator:
This includes an oral and a flight exam. You will have to demonstrate different tasks like IFR cross country flight planning, unusual attitudes and flying instrument approach procedures. The test takes about four hours.
→ While learning to fly in one of our state-of-the-art Cirrus aircraft, we do recommend that you also complete the Cirrus Instrument Procedures Course.
This is an amazing on-line course that has been developed by the Cirrus Aircraft factory and is a valuable course with Cirrus specific videos and content.
This course has additional learning modules that are specific to flying under IFR in a Cirrus. It highlights the most important instrument flight techniques and procedures for you as the pilot. As you go through the videos, you’ll learn how to optimize your efficiency, enhance safety, and use your technically advanced avionics to its full potential. This course is also found in the Cirrus Learning Catalog.