Difference between IMC and IR

[jono1978]

Hi All,

This maybe a silly question but what is the difference between IMC and IR, I know IMC is only valid in the UK.

I am currently studying for my ATPL's and I'm wondering whether its worth doing the IMC or just go straight for the IR

Would there be any benefit me doing the IMC first?


Thanks in advance


John

[greenfreddie]

From google...

"The IMC Rating is a national rating that can be added to a UK issued pilot licence. It is designed to enhance the privileges and instrument flying skills of a PPL holder that will enable a pilot to fly in weather conditions below the minimum requirements for a basic PPL holder. However, it is not a substitute for a full Instrument Rating, which is required for flight into controlled airspace.
Flying training and experience requirements may be found in the CAA LASORS publication, downloadable from www.caa.co.uk (http://www.caa.co.uk/).
The ground examinations for the IMC Rating include questions on the planning and execution of a typical flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) outside of controlled airspace. The exams must be completed within 12 months and the flight test within 9 months preceding the date of application for the rating"

[AlphaMale]

I'm sure you'll find loads if information on the forum about IMC and IR :confused:

The cost is a major factor (£3k v £12k) and as far as I can see people who already hold an IMC rating have said it helped with the basics of their IR.

[sick_bag]

I've just done an ir after doing the cpl. You get ten hours of instrument flying with the cpl course if you do it this way round, which gives you a good heads up before starting...

However, if you need to build hours, doing an IMC before you start the cpl/ir is not a bad idea - you need to fly those hours anyway, so you're getting better value by paying slightly more for an instructor to teach you something new. just be aware of the number of P1 vs total hours you need to build, as the imc instruction will be logged as PUT obviously..