01
You fly for yourself
Cloud, haze and poor visibility stop being reasons to cancel. You learn precise instrument flying, navigation and approaches in conditions you would otherwise stay on the ground for.
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Instrument Rating (IR)
Fly when you can't see out.
An Instrument Rating allows you to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), operating safely in low visibility using instruments alone. It is held to higher standards than a Private Pilot Licence or a Night Rating — and most airline operations are flown under IFR.
- Starting point
- A PPL with Night Rating, or a CPL
- Instrument training
- 40 hours
- Up to 20 of them may be flown in a simulator.
- Examination
- 75% to pass
- The SACAA Instrument Rating online examination.
Where to begin
Who takes an Instrument Rating?
The rating that separates good-weather flying from all-weather flying — and the one most commercial cockpits assume you hold.
02
You're building a career
It is essential for commercial pilots: most airline operations are conducted under Instrument Flight Rules, and a CPL taken with an Instrument Rating is the usual professional route.
The licence itself
What an Instrument Rating lets you do
A rating is an endorsement on the licence you already hold: this one changes the weather you can fly in, not what you may be paid for.
With an IR you can
- Fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)
- Operate safely in low visibility using instruments alone
- Fly approaches in conditions such as cloud, haze or at night
- Meet what most commercial and airline operations expect, since they are flown under IFR
Not until you train further
- Let a private pilot fly for reward — that is the Commercial Pilot Licence, not a rating
- Replace the Night Rating: a private pilot needs one before starting this rating
- Carry across aircraft categories on its own — 5 hours of the training must be in the category the rating is sought for
Training is held to higher standards than a PPL or a Night Rating, and the examination has a 75% pass mark.
From fair-weather flying to flying on instruments alone
How you earn it
Experience first, then the instrument training itself, then an examination and a test with a Designated Flight Examiner.
Chapter 01
What you already hold
Step 01
The licence, medical and radio you start from
What has to be in place before instrument training begins.
Milestone: PPL with Night Rating, or CPL
You need a valid Private Pilot Licence with a Night Rating, or a Commercial Pilot Licence; a valid Class 1 or Class 2 medical certificate; and a valid General Radiotelephony Certificate — the advanced radio licence for controlled airspace.
Step 02
Cross-country command time
The judgement that comes from flying yourself, somewhere, as pilot-in-command.
Milestone: 50 hours cross-country as pilot-in-command
A minimum of 50 hours cross-country flight time as pilot-in-command. Eagle Air's hire-and-fly and organised fly-away trips are how most students build it.
Chapter 02
Forty hours on instruments
Step 03
Instrument flight training
Precise instrument flying, instrument navigation and safe approaches without outside references.
Milestone: 40 hours, up to 20 in the simulator
A minimum of 40 hours instrument flight training, of which up to 20 hours may be completed in a simulator — at Eagle Air, an FNPT II with GNSS and RNAV. Training covers advanced procedures, weather awareness and handling in-flight situations with no external visual references.
Chapter 03
In the aircraft it's for
Step 04
In the aircraft you'll fly
Applying it in the category the rating is issued for.
Milestone: 5 hours in the aircraft category
A minimum of 5 hours instrument training in the aircraft category for which the rating is sought.
Chapter 04
Examined, then tested
Step 05
The SACAA examination
The theory behind instrument procedures, examined.
Milestone: 75% minimum pass mark
The SACAA Instrument Rating online examination, with a minimum pass mark of 75% — a higher bar than earlier examinations.
Step 06The moment it becomes yours
The skills test
Flying to instrument standards, assessed.
Milestone: Practical test with a Designated Flight Examiner
A practical flight test — the skills test — with a Designated Flight Examiner (DFE).
These are the requirements the rating is issued against — your instructor will plan the order with you.
Knowledge, handling and judgement
What you'll learn
The skill this rating is named for: flying accurately when there is nothing to see outside.
Precision: Flying the aircraft accurately on instruments alone.
- Precise instrument flying
- Instrument navigation
- Training in the FNPT II simulator with GNSS and RNAV
Approaches: Arriving safely in cloud, haze or at night.
- Safe approaches in low visibility
- Advanced procedures
Weather: Reading conditions, and deciding well ahead of them.
- Weather awareness
- Flight planning under Instrument Flight Rules
Handling: Dealing with what happens when you cannot look outside.
- In-flight situations without external visual references
- Higher standards than a PPL or Night Rating
No surprises
What it takes
What you need before you start, what you fly during the rating, and what's required before it's issued.
01
Before you start
The licence, medical and radio certificate this rating is added to.
A valid PPL with a Night Rating, or a CPL
Licence requirementA valid Class 1 or Class 2 medical certificate
Licence requirementA valid General Radiotelephony Certificate
The advanced radio licence, for controlled airspace and professional operations.
Licence requirement
02
During your training
The experience and instruction you complete.
A minimum of 50 hours cross-country flight time as pilot-in-command
Licence requirementA minimum of 40 hours instrument flight training
Of which up to 20 hours may be completed in a simulator.
Licence requirementA minimum of 5 hours instrument training in the aircraft category the rating is sought for
Licence requirement
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Before the rating is issued
The examination and the test.
Pass the SACAA Instrument Rating online examination
Minimum pass mark 75%.
Licence requirementPass a practical flight test (skills test) with a Designated Flight Examiner (DFE)
Licence requirement
Licence requirement is set by the regulator; Eagle Air guidance is our own advice, not a condition of entry.
Honest numbers
How long it takes
Eagle Air doesn't publish a timeframe for the Instrument Rating, so this page doesn't invent one. The hours listed are what the rating requires, not how long it will take you.
What changes it
- The command time you already hold
- 50 hours cross-country as pilot-in-command is required — students who have been hour building arrive with much of it.
- Aircraft or simulator
- Up to 20 of the 40 instrument hours may be flown in the simulator, which is easier to schedule than weather-dependent flying.
- How often you fly
- Training frequency is one of the factors the school names for pilot training generally.
- Examination readiness
- The examination is passed at 75%, so it comes when you're ready for it.
What it costs
What it costs
No price is published for the Instrument Rating. It is driven by the hours you still need and how many of them you fly in the simulator rather than the aircraft — so the team will build you an estimate.
What drives the total
The instrument hours
40 hours of instrument flight training, with a minimum of 5 of them in the aircraft category the rating is for.
Simulator or aircraft
Up to 20 of the 40 hours may be flown in the FNPT II simulator rather than the aircraft.
The cross-country command time
50 hours cross-country as pilot-in-command is required; how much of it you already hold changes what's left to fly.
Alongside the flying
- The General Radiotelephony Certificate, if you don't already hold it
- Your Class 1 or Class 2 aviation medical
- The SACAA examination and the skills test with a Designated Flight Examiner
What Eagle Air includes and what you arrange yourself is confirmed with the training team.
Common questions
- For detailed and up-to-date pricing information, please contact us directly at info@eagleair.co.za, and our team will gladly assist you.
- Yes, part-time training is available. However, it generally extends the overall duration of the course and may result in exceeding the minimum required flight hours due to less frequent training and slower skill progression. While this does not negatively impact the quality of training, it may have cost implications if training intervals become too infrequent.
- Graduates who have obtained a South African Civil Aviation Authority (SA CAA) Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) may pursue employment as flight instructors once they have completed the required Instructor Rating. This pathway allows pilots to build valuable flying hours while refining their skills. In addition, certain airlines may recruit low-hour CPL holders for positions such as Second Officer or First Officer, depending on operational demand and recruitment criteria.
- To begin the enrolment process, simply email info@eagleair.co.za, and one of our experienced team members will guide you through each step and assist you in getting started efficiently.
The horizon after this one
After your Instrument Rating
The rating that makes the rest of the professional route possible.
Next · 01
Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
Taken with an Instrument Rating, the CPL is the usual professional route — and the reason most students are here.
Next · 02
Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL)
A CPL with an Instrument Rating plus the ATPL theory examinations is a 'frozen ATPL'.
Next · 03
Hour Building — Hire & Fly
Build the cross-country command time this rating asks for, on hire-and-fly and organised fly-away trips.
Your first step
The weather stops deciding whether you fly.
Tell us the licence and hours you hold — especially your cross-country command time — and the training team will tell you what's left between you and an Instrument Rating.