Is it wise to do the IMC rating before doing hour building?

[Tarmach]

Is it wise to do the IMC rating before doing hour building?

[RVR800]

Yes

You will be able to build (in the UK) IFR time in parallel - IFR time is needed for ATP
issue and othe licences and ratings

.. and its safer, and you will be able to fly
on more days in the year



[This message has been edited by RVR800 (edited 17 April 2001).]

[ickle black box]

Depends on how many hours you've got. I've got 88, and are about to do the IMC (in Florida, I also have 65 in gliders)

You people with IMC's, how many did you have first?

ickle

FLYING EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GRANT OF AN IMC RATING
When applying for an IMC Rating you must produce logbook evidence of having met the following flying
requirements:
Hours
(minimum)
(a) Total experience as pilot of aeroplanes following PPL issue and which may
include (b), (c), (d) & (e) below 25.
(b) Pilot in Command of aeroplanes to include (c) below 10.
(c) Pilot in Command of aeroplanes on cross-country flights 5.
(d) Pilot under Training in instrument flying with an instructor in a dual controlled
aeroplane (during IMC course). Up to 2 hours may be in a synthetic flight
trainer 15.
(e) Total flight time by sole reference to instruments (during IMC course) 10.

[This message has been edited by ickle black box (edited 17 April 2001).]

[Tarmach]

How much IFR time is required for ATPL issue and to be accepted onto a CPL practical course?

I'm thinking about hour building in the USA and the IMC rating is only valid in the UK.

Im a low time pilot and it has been recommend that I should clock up more time flying VFR before moving onto IFR. However, this is the dilemma, do I spend money in this country clocking more hours up- in excess of say 30 and then do the IMC before going off doing hour building, or do I just go straight to the USA and hour build saving loads of money and then do my IMC, once back in Britain?

[Superfly]

Tarmec,

I wouldn't even bother with getting an IMC, unless you want to stay a PPL and fly in the UK. Cause you'll have to do an I/R anyway and no flight time can be deduced because you have an IMC. Ok it might be a good experience but at the end of the day you'll have blown up more dosh than Hour build + fly 5 hours Instrument flying with an instructor. If you're a bit worried about not being ready within the allocated time (as far as I/R training is concerned) get yourself a procedure training software such as RANT and it may help you for the real stuff ! . I can't speak about my experience but I am nearly at the same stage as you and am going follow thi steps.I have every confidence in my strategy. Has anyone here done this, can anyone confirm ? Or Am I over-confident ??
cracking landings, Le Superfly

[Captain Spud]

Superfly I think if you check your CAP (54?) you will find that having an IMC will actually give you a reduction in the instructional flying hours required for the IR. Obvisously as the IMC can be obtained at a basic PPL style establishment at say £90.00 ph instead of IR training at £200.00 ph, a good saving is available . It is all expalined in the CAP under "Requirements for the Grant of an IR"

[Superfly]

Well thanks for this Captain, at the time I checked this it was NOT possible, 10 months ago , It's obviously changed since then and it is quite good news !! thanks for this and sorry to anyone whose been mislead by my words , However RANT is still a brilliant Software !!! :)

[TooHotToFly]

Tarmach - 75 hours instrument flight for issue of an ATPL (although I wouldn't worry about that. By the time you come to have your ATPL issued you will inevitibly have completed a lot more than that). There is no instrument flight required prior to starting a CPL (A) Modular course.

Superfly - The rules have not changed in the last 10 months regarding the 12 hour reduction for people with a valid IMC rating adding an IR to their CAA licence, so make sure you're reading the rules correctly.

[Flypuppy]

From page 13 of the UK CAA SRG policy update document:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">
IR Course: Credit allowed for holding IMC Rating UK Licence Holders
As advised in CAP 53/54, a UK licence holder with a valid IMC rating is allowed a credit of 12 hours from the minimum approved training requirement for the Instrument Rating (IR). AIC 5/1999 explained that, within UK national arrangements, IMC rated pilots could still benefit from this 12 hour credit from the 50 hour (single engine) or
55 hour (multi-engine) approved IR courses. However, that credit is available only to holders of the UK PPL(A) or the UK CPL(A) and
only during the transition period up to 30 th June 2002. For the UK CPL holder who receives this 12 hour credit, the IR course cannot be further reduced by the 5 hours allowed in Appendix 1 to JAR-FCL
1.205 paragraph 12.
Holders of JAR-FCL licences (including the JAR-FCL CPL (Restricted)), may not benefit from the 12 hours credit based on the IMC rating, but a JAR-FCL CPL holder would be eligible for the 5 hour reduction in accordance with Appendix 1 to JAR-FCL 1.205.</font>

The full document in PDF format can be found and downloaded here: http://www.srg.caa.co.uk/documents/srg_fcl_PolicyUpdate.pdf

[Delta Wun-Wun]

Am I getting confused or what?!My PPL was issued in February this year,so that would be a JAA Licence.So does this mean that if I do an IMC I get no time credit off an IR?

------------------
GET THE BLOODY NOSE DOWN!

[TooHotToFly]

Unless you hold a CAA licence you receive no credit off an IR for holding an IMC rating.

[Pilot Paul]

A word of caution....

The danger of doing an IMC rating when you have not had much VFR experience is that you will find it that much harder when you come to do your CPL, since in the main this is a visual flight qualification.

I did an IMC at 80 hours, and am about to embark on a CPL (I now have 185 hours). Having spent the last few months flying with instructors to try and get a head-start on the CPL course, I found I had got into the bad habit of spending far too much time with my head in the cockpit looking at the instruments rather than looking outside. My instructor says this is fairly typical of low-hours IMC rated pilots who have not had enough experience with plain old visual flight (remember, the CPL qualification is, apart froma brief IFR section, almost totally conducted under VFR).

So by all means go for your IMC, but just make sure you don't lose all those good visual habits - get your head outside of the cockpit now and then!

Regards and good luck,

Paul

[This message has been edited by Pilot Paul (edited 21 April 2001).]