This is the hardest rating you can obtain. Obtaining an instrument rating is one of the greatest challenges in aviation. But the rating also greatly expands the utility of an airplane.

With an instrument rating, a small airplane becomes much more of a utility vehicle. While the light piston single airplanes are not ever going to be able to blast through weather like an airliner, they can handle conditions which would make visual flight impossible.

If you are considering a career in aviation, the instrument rating is just about mandatory as most commercial aviation depends upon being able to fly under all but the worst weather conditions.

{Image shown above is the C-172 panel with Garmin 430 GPS/NAV/COM}

Prerequisite: 50 hours cross country pilot in command

Note: Some of these hours can be obtained in the process of completing the rating.

Total Instrument Time: 40 hours (minimum)
Minimum Dual (with an instrument instructor): 15 hours
Other time can be with a safety pilot (private pilot or higher rating)

Finding an airport in the clouds requires careful navigation procedures. There are four common instrument approach types:

GPS (RNAV): These approaches use the precision of Global Positioning System navigation to guide the pilot to the final approach course. Most newer airplanes are equipped with GPS units.

VOR: These approaches involve flying a specific VOR radial to the airport. While less precise than GPS, these approaches are still widely used.

ADF: These approaches use non-directional beacons and careful attention to heading to locate the airport. While little used today, the ADF approach skill may prove useful in certain areas.

ILS / Localizer: The ILS or precision approach is the most precise approach commonly in use today. A subset of the ILS is the localizer approach which provides the pilot with precise horizontal guidance, but does not include the vertical guidance of the glide slope.

Q. I have my own plane - does JNM instruct in a customer's airplane?
A. Absolutely. In fact, JNM considers achieving the instrument rating in your own plane to be one of the safest ways to strat instrument flight. That is because you will be flying the same plane you trained in once you are flying in actual instrument conditions on your own.

Q. Will I get to fly in actual instrument conditions during training?
A. We try to get all students into some actual instrument conditions. JNM will not fly actual until the student has mastered basic flight by instrument reference. Obviously, the instrument conditions must be above landing minimums to insure the flight can be safely concluded.