Instrument flying after PPL
Hello,
I'm reaching the end of my PPL course, and have so far been considering taking it further to a commercial level.
I'm trying to come up with a way to get to the fATPL that best fits in with my life at the moment and minimises interruptions/discontinuity etc that might harm my chances of commercial/airline employment.
One method I've come up with is to go for the IMC rating (now IR(R)?) soon after I finish my PPL. This way, I can make myself a safer pilot right after my PPL, and keep myself flying in the poor visibility we often get here. I could then do my night rating right after that in addition to hour building. It would also mean I can have all the prerequisites for commercial training done for when I'm ready to commit to completing that as quickly as possible.
However, the issue with this is it would only be optimal if the instrument training time (I think 15 hours?) would be taken into account for when I come to do the real IR.
As I understand it, the basic requirement is 55 hours specifically instrument flying (so I'm guessing it's many more hours actual total flying), and that this decreases to 45 hours if you do your CPL first (because the CPL includes 10 hours instrument flying). From what I understand this is also the case when the CPL/IR training is reversed - so a 25 hour CPL becomes 15 hours if you do the 55 hour IR first. Does this all apply to the IMC rating too? Will the 15 hours be deducted from the CPL/IR requirements? All my training would be in the UK.
If this is not the case, then another option is to go for the full IR right after my PPL. But this is not ideal as it would mean I am committed to the commercial training and therefore need to complete the ATPL exams and finish the remaining commercial training as quickly as possible to reduce gaps.
There is also the complexity of single vs multi engine IRs. If I were to do the IR on an SEP, how could I upgrade the IR to be valid for ME flights if were to get an MEP class rating in the future?
Would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have!
Thanks
Odai.