Instrument Rating vs. Instrument Pilot

Many start with a private pilot certificate, then add an instrument rating, but how can you become a true instrument pilot?

Frank Bowlin

Wednesday, July 03, 2024 at 09:19 AM ET

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Small airplane against blue sky

Key Takeaways:

The article distinguishes between a "pilot with an instrument rating" (legal but potentially inexperienced in challenging conditions) and a highly proficient "instrument pilot" who confidently handles diverse IFR scenarios, emphasizing the importance of achieving the latter for safety, utility, and professional pride.
To transition to an "instrument pilot," aspiring professionals should seek multi-crew right-seat experience, while private pilots should fly IFR frequently (10+ hours/month), gradually embrace challenging weather, and regularly utilize flight simulators for diverse practice.
Maintaining instrument proficiency is crucial, as these skills are highly perishable and require continuous, frequent practice to prevent regression to a basic instrument-rated pilot.

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There’s no differentiation in the eyes of the FAA, but I’m going to make a distinction.

Once a pilot adds an instrument rating, they’re legal to fly an ILS in blowing snow all the way to 200-foot minimums with an 1,800 RVR. But few of us would actually attempt such a demanding task with only our training and perhaps a bit of experience in actual conditions under our belt. I’ll call those folks “pilots with an instrument rating,” differentiating them from someone with more experience who would confidently undertake that operation. I’ll call that person an “instrument pilot.”