What You Need for Your FAR Part 61

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To earn your instrument rating, you must have

 

50 hours of cross-country flight time as PIC at a minimum.

 

40 hours of simulated or actual instrument time in the areas of operation for instrument pilots. Additionally, those hours must include: 

 

Dual: 15 hours minimum of flight training with an instrument instructor on the Instrument areas of operation

• Three hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor in an airplane that is appropriate to the instrument-airplane rating within 2 calendar months before the date of the practical test

• Instrument flight training on cross-country flight procedures, including one cross-country flight in an airplane with an authorized instructor, performed under instrument flight rules when a flight plan has been filed with an air traffic control facility, and that involves -

  • A flight of 250 nautical miles along airways or by directed routing from an air traffic control facility

  • An instrument approach at each airport

  • Three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems.