Any holder of a Private Pilot Licencemay undertake additional training for the issue of an IMC rating which enables the holder to fly in instrument meteorological conditions (poor or deteriorating weather) and in visibilities of 3km or less..
Before you begin an Instrument Meteorological Conditions Rating, what are the requirements?
To undertake training towards an IMC rating the 'student' must be a PPL (Private Pilot Licence) holder and must have completed a minimum of 25 hours of which 10 must have been as PIC (Pilot in Command), since the issue of their PPL, of which atleast 5 hours must have been navigational cross-county flying.
What will I, and what am I required to do during the IMC Rating training?
During IMC Rating training you will be required to complete a minimum of 15 hours training, in or under instrument conditions with a suitably qualified instructor. Of these 15 hours, 2 may be completed on an approved simulator. No less than 10 of the 15 hours must be flown with sole reference to the aircraft instruments, which include equipment such as VOR, ADF, DME, VDF, RADAR.
The IMC Rating also requires the pass of a theoretical exam and the CAA syllabus states that a minimum of 20 hours ground instruction on a number topics will be completed before the grant of the rating. The theoretical examination, like the PPL exams has a 75% pass rate and is multiple choice.
During the 15 hours training, a number of proceedures will be covered including basic instrument handling, full and partial panel flying. Once the student becomes acustomed to instrument flying, the training will move on to navigation under instruments and then on to a number of different instrument approaches to land.
Once all the requirements are satisfied, the student must undertake a flight test with an approved CAA Examiner, upon succesful completion of the test you may once again apply to the CAA for your rating.
Find out if your local flying school carries out IMC training by checking out our Flight School Directory.
So do I have to renew this rating?
Your UK IMC rating is valid for 25 months from the date of issue and must be revalidated by a flight test with an approved CAA examiner or supply proof, by means of logbook, of a number of satisfactory instrument approaches completed in the proceeding 25 months.
So is a IMC Rating all I can add to a PPL?
Certainly not, why not check out the other qualifications and ratings you can add to a PPL by following our links below:
