3 Reasons Why You Need An Instrument Rating

by Jason Schappert

Your Instrument Rating will be one of your more difficult yet most rewarding rating you’ll pursue during your flight training. I’ll never forget my instrument rating. (Mostly the yelling voice of my flight instructor) haha. There are some many great reasons to get your IFR rating. In this video i’ll show you some very neat IFR footage and give you 3 great reasons to take the plunge.



  • Mike Saul

    Great little clip! I do indeed plan on getting my instrument rating down the road. My main reasons are for more flying days, as well as the sheer experience. Nothing, except maybe my first solo, can compare with breaking out of the clouds on top and “cloud-surfing” with my instructor on the way back from Chattanooga!

  • Josh Langweil

    I just started my instrument rating this past weekend.  For me, I am looking to be a safer pilot, and plan to file IFR a lot even in VFR conditions.  I am also having fun learning about the instrument techniques and approaches.  I am really looking forward to one day breaking through on top of that cloud layer.

  • Brad

    Just about done with my instrument rating. I am doing it for safety sake as well as my passengers. We all know clear and million is about as smooth as a gravel road, and with my wife’s motion sickness cloudy and calm will be way more pleasant for her. The thrill of breaking out on top the clouds is nothing to the thrill of breaking out near mins on an ILS  and seeing the runway right where it should be. Good times.

  • David

    More flying days and increased safety are definitely up there. In terms of aircraft control though I feel like instrument flight really forces you to stay on top of the aircraft more precisely than VFR and that skill is valuable even when in severe blue.

  • Jonsousan

    Like the comment about “Fogged in”..that is so true…when we are VFR…sometimes it is hours before clearing.  That said,  I read an article stating that there is a ’new’ FAA    VFR/IFR  combined requirement standard as of August? I think their attempt is to phase out some of the redundency tasks. Have you heard anything n this? Any comments?

  • 1WingLow

    Hi Jason, that clip reminded me when I did my PPL exam and had to show the instructor the instruments component. We have simulated it under the hood which I was fine with, but when I did it in reality I actually realised that its not as easy as being under the hood. It wasn’t just exam stress but the feeling of you do not know where you are and not whats in front of you… I really wanna do it as I will never know when I am going to need it…Justin Case is a new friend…” Just  In Case” i need at the least expected time.

  • Jdavidrich

    I own a share in a 172 in Arizona; when it’s not VFR (one day a year) it’s not safe to fly a 172 here. Since I’m not interested in a larger plane I’m happy with VFR (though agree with safety considerations)

  • Cmtowner

    I know that I would like to get my IR in the near future. One of my primary reasons is for the advanced/continued training to help make me a better and more confident pilot. I love to always learn new things, and mixing that with flying makes it all that much better.

    The insurance discount will be nice as well, finding a way to make flying and ownership just a little bit cheaper.

    A great video, it makes me want to go fly. Too bad my Cherokee is still undergoing its annual inspection.

  • Praba

    I am definitely a better/safer pilot after completing my Instrument rating.  Second, I can attest to the lower insurance costs.  I did get a reduction of almost a $1000.  Third, I can go someplace and not have to worry about getting stuck due to weather.  fourth and the best reason for me is I can get above the clouds for a smoother ride. 

  • Larry M. Diamond

    I have many reasons but I will keep it simple. I fly in Michigan. With my private I was flying sometimes as little as once every 3 months and was barely able to keep current. So the IFR rating gave me an opportunity for more flying time. The IFR training makes you a better, safer and confident pilot. Your skill and knowledge increases dramatically. You say it best, “it makes you a better pilot.” I found I did not deviate from assigned altitudes, my turns, climbs and descents were tremendously smoother. Most of all through attitude and power settings for each configuration flying was a breeze. I challenge anyone to tell me that getting the Instrument ticket did not help their flying. It is another “tool in your flying toolbox.” I have taken my Instrument rating to a different level. I am a CFI pursuing the CFII. Why you might ask? My training for my instrument rating was terrible. No consistency in instructors, many cancellations due to the CFII flying corporate charters. I passed only by sheer survival. I am learning now how to be an instrument pilot while also learning how to teach it. What a crazy concept. I must also thank Jason because his How to pass the Instrument oral checkride is a reference that helps to pass the practical but also is like having a textbook that can be used from day one of training. I know, because that is how I have used it.

  • Jeff Graber

    Safety, of course, is paramount, but for anyone who flies for business purposes to get to meetings, an instrument rating is crucial. There are some days where the weather isn’t bad, it’s just not good. Rather than push the very limits of VFR flying and possibly get yourself into some trouble, the instrument rating will let you get to that meeting safely. That’s sure better than postponing your meeting.

  • Mike Hudson

    I am just starting to study for my Instrument Rating. I passed my Private checkride back in February. My biggest reason to persue an Instrument Rating is to keep learning. I actually miss flight training and getting my IR is a great way to jump back in that enviroment.

  • Shilohcool

    Confidence. Changing weather can sneak up on you. Even if you just hit the edge of some weather for two minutes, those two minutes can seem like hours if you don’t have the confidence that comes with an instrument rating. That’s where bad decision making can start.

  • Kc8sil

    I was convinced to start learn everything I could about IFR and start training for IFR on every flight after reading Buck’s “Weather Flying”. Besides safety, the economics of being able to safely skirt weather systems without flying way around or waiting for them to pass would pay for the time to learn and earn in short order.  

  • Dave

    Just finished my checkride for Private Pil0t and plan to persue an instrument rating in the spring. I was on my long solo cross country when some clouds rolled in and I had to lower my altitude and I got a little nervous! I was thinking the whole time how much an instrument rating would help my confidence and flying opportunities.

  • http://twitter.com/jasonjflaherty Jason Flaherty

    Good points. I think I am going to wait until I own a plane to do it though… It’s getting to expensive renting. NE California has more than enough sunny days, but I do get stuck in the area often… I want the IFR for sure. Safety being the number 1 reason. 

  • http://twitter.com/jasonjflaherty Jason Flaherty

    Good points. I think I am going to wait until I own a plane to do it though… It’s getting to expensive renting. NE California has more than enough sunny days, but I do get stuck in the area often… I want the IFR for sure. Safety being the number 1 reason. 

  • Motobob80s

    Hi Jason, I’d like your option on if I should buy me a 150 to learn and train in or rent and then purchase.

    Thank you, Bob Clark
    motobob80s@yahoo.com

  • Maureen

    Got it this year – to make me a better vfr pilot and secondarily to increase the flying days.

  • Nellis69

    I don’t have a IFR rating, but consider it.
    However, I am 71 years old, have not flown much in the past years.
    I was told I was not too old to get the IFR…..
    Cost is always a factor, especially now with cost being high and climbing.
    What would you suggest in testing the waters of IFR?

    I like you videos, they simplify and clarify the reasons for making or taking an approach to flying.
    Thank you

  • AviatorScott

    I figured I’d get an IFR rating “eventually”, but 6 months after I got my Private my CFI(I) challenged me to get going on it.  Within a week I was building hours up and down the Sacramento Valley.  I knew that with fog always a winter factor in the valley, and the desire to take trips to the coast that an IFR rating could “save the day” by either allowing me to get out, or get home those last thousand feet in the fog.  Withinn  a few months of getting my IFR ticket, it did save the day because it allowed me to take someone to Monterey for the day, we wouldn’t have made it in if I hadn’t had my rating and been current.  A blast to listen to my passenger say “I knew we’d get close to the ground, but I didn’t know how close” (for the record we broke out at 500′ agl).  It was also fun to listen to the tower tell a Untied Express to hold for the Skyhawk on the ILS :)

    Jason, love what you are doing with your programs, I totally agree that a good pilot is always learning.

    Scott

  • Fayaz

    The reason I got my instrument rating is because I am a career track pilot. I can list a few things that benefited my flying as a result of being instrument rated. Instrument training requires one to “fly by the numbers” this helped a lot in not only my instrument training, but my VFR flying as well. Especially during traffic pattern operations I am now paying more attention to locking in certain power settings, airspeeds, etc. so that my approaches are always consistant. Instrument training also enabled me to be a smooth operator in flying and gave me a whole new meaning to letting the airplane do the job. I am not talking about auto pilot here. What I am referring to is, using power settings, trim, and smooth control inputs while flying. It makes all kinds of flying easy.

  • Wayne Rabalais

    I got my instrument rating in 1990 because it was required in order to graduate from the Aviation Program at Northeast Louisiana University. I am a safer pilot because of my instrument training. 

  • Mike Finamore

    I understand the “theory” behind these calculations, but being “old-school” I have difficulty equating Celsius temps with Fahrenheit temps. Can *F temps be used in place of *C temps to get the correct results?

  • Mercedes E. Barreiro

    Good information. I find that your info has giving me more insight into certain related flying task than most of the other sights that I have visited. Thanks keep the good work coming.

  • Mark C.

    While I’ve enjoyed the instrument portion of my PPL training, I wouldn’t even consider getting an instrument rating until and unless I own an IFR-certified aircraft. Besides the expense of renting to meet currency requirements, just the amount of IFR flying in general is a lot, I don’t know if I want to make half of my flights IFR flights just to maintain currency.

  • http://profiles.google.com/tpaladino77 Thomas Paladino

    Safety really is the biggest reason to get your IFR rating. 

    Fact is that if you fly enough, you WILL encounter a situation where you’re up in the air and have to deal with a change in the weather. It’s not a matter of if, just when. You will then have to make some very hard, very dangerous decisions on how to proceed. And you may end up in a no-win situation. You may survive… but not before declaring an emergency and having a lot of explaining to do to the FAA once on the ground. 

    On the other hand, all of this can be avoided with an instrument ticket. It will save your life and possibly your license as well. 

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