An Instrument Rating is required for a pilot to fly under Instrument flight rules (IFR). Under these conditions the pilot is unable to use external visual references for navigation and flies the aircraft solely based on the instruments in the cockpit. This rating is also a requirement for employment as a professional pilot and is a prerequisite for the Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL).

Minimum requirements to obtain an Instrument Rating are:

• Be at least 17 years of age
• Be able to read, speak, write and understand the English language fluently.
• Hold a Private Pilot License.
• Obtain at least a third class medical certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner
• Pass a computerized aeronautical knowledge test
• Accumulate and log a specified amount of training and experience under Part 61, Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) section 61.65.
• Pass an oral test and flight test administered by an FAA inspector or designated examiner

The minimum required time for the Instrument Rating is 40 Hours of actual or simulated instrument time under CFR 14 Part 61.