IR for PPL
 

Hello

I have an EASA PPL with NQ and have been flying as hobby for 8 yrs.

I want to do some more interesting flying and therefore looking into getting an IR rating.

I want to do some of it in florida USA to combine holiday with training.

What are your views on this, how should I proceed ?

If you want the IR to be useable in EASAland on an EASA aeroplane, you need an EASA IR - which is a lot of theoretical knowledge study before you can do the flying course.

If you're thinking of going to FAAland to do it, then I'd have thought that you want to get a standalone FAA PPL first, then you can properly add an FAA IR to it.

A third option is that here in the UK we have a UK-only IR(R) [Instrument Rating (Restricted)] - which is highly regarded here, but only useable in Britain. I suspect that you can't add it to a Danish issued PPL EASA PPL either, but no harm in asking the Danish authority how they'd feel about that, as it's cheaper, less theoretical study - but at least gives you a valuable skillset, useable at home in an emergency, and you could just pop over to the UK every 2 years to renew it.

G

Best way - get a FAA validation on your Part.FCL license, so you can fly in the US VFR, then get M1 visa to enable IR training possibility, get the IR on the FAA license (foreign based pilots license, yes you can add IR to that). After that either do a standalone FAA license and stay in the US or do the bad way, return to Europe after flying 50h PIC IFR in the US, validate the US IR on your EASA license. Biggest drawback: once you learn in the US what real free flying is - you will face culture shock coming back.

Competency-Based Instrument Rating (CB-IR)
 

Hi qpad,

Welcome to the forum.

I am a PPL(A) holder and have just passed the IR(A) skills test, waiting for the CAA UK to add the rating to my licence. As I am (half-)based in the UK, prior to that I had been using my IR(R) rating for 3 years and I would recommend it to anyone. So would I recommend the "big" IR(A) to anyone who can afford it...

A relatively new EASA concept of a competency-based IR course lets you credit your previous IFR/instrument experience against the 40-hour minimum, and it's an excellent thing for us in the UK, as the whole IR(R) rating course and subsequent flying in IMC can count. One of the paths towards the rating I see emerging on the Continent is go for the En-route Instrument Rating (EIR) first, gain instrument experience while using it, and then finish it off with a CB-IR course.


CB-IR theory is also less than the "original" IR theory.



G, I suspect that no European NAA other than the UK CAA can issue the IR(R) and add it to their licence. (S)he would have to change the state of licence issue to the UK, complete IR(R) and then perhaps fly here on instruments every now and then. After getting to 30ish hours of instrument flying change the state of licence issue to Denmark and start the CB-IR course, crediting his/her instrument time. Looks mad, but depending on circumstances may make sense.

qpad, If you set your mind on doing some training in the USA, I would say what the others said - consider a stand-alone FAA IR, but as you will need an EASA IR back home, then use the CB-IR path to get the EASA rating based on the FAA one.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you'd like further info.



/h88