I can only say that the CBIR made the route a little easier for me having had the IMCR. I’ve had a lot of email’s recently regarding people looking to do the Instrument Rating and they mostly seem to lack the motivation to get past the theory. In my opinion the theory for the CBIR is not like the theory you get at an ATPL school, so it’s harder in the sense it’s all self learn.
I had all the known issues with the FCL examinations containing lots of HPA/Jet Stuff when it shouldn’t, but I really felt that there is so much more you could learn and remove all the irrelevant stuff.
I wouldn’t know what to suggest, but my journey to get the IR and my continuation to share with everyone has probably gained us another 5 IR pilots in the near future.
gallois wrote:
Most of this expense is down to STCs or lack of. And the fact that certified IFR equipment seems to carry a price premium.
I agree to what you wrote up to this point – I don’t, however, see that the STC or price situation for certified IFR equipment is a different one in Europe than it is in the US. Therefore I don’t see a reason for a difference.
gallois wrote:
To put such equipment in most club aircraft
That’s an interesting point to consider: My impression is that the share of aircraft owned and operated by flight clubs in Europe is much higher than in the US. And such clubs have different economic dynamics.
Would actually be an interesting evaluation if there is a difference in the average available income of GA pilots between Europe and the US…
I will hopefully shortly add another to the numbers. Personally I had no issue finding an ATO who would take me for the minimum hours, they are handily a 20 minute drive away too. Initially they were also happy to use our aircraft, although this was never put into practice as I decided to do an MEP and subsequently utilised their aircraft for that and the IR.
The theory is still over cooked and seems to be the biggest barrier for most. Most of it is not that hard, there is just a lot of it. I was also on the new question bank which was appalling, but managed to get through with only resit.
Avionics upgrades are a big issue on Robins – as the various painful “Robin STC” threads here show 
The more basic point is that my post above “at the same school” you can do… is actually real for all of the US. Here in Europe things are vastly more patchy, and probably most people have problems. In 2011 when I did my Euro IR I was able to pull it off locally (albeit with a load of money and hassle) but I know that if I was doing the IR now I would have to travel and stay in a hotel.
Yes; the US scene is much more around ownership (lowest marginal hourly cost → encourages utilisation) whereas in Europe, especially some places, it is much more around “clubs” (highest marginal hourly cost → discourages utilisation). Here, there are vast numbers of 5-10hr/year “club” pilots, so you get a lot of pilots, a lot of activity, but not a lot of “going places”
The theory for CBIR is the problem, the crap content and most importantly course/exams logistics, the rest? well it’s just flying & money
I am still puzzled by who has financial interest in CBIR course & exams, there is zero traction from course providers (they want to sell you ATPL, there is not that many CBIR exam slots)
The more I read this the more it feels like it’s all part of a negative feedback loop. High barrier to entry and lower IAP availability create lower demand, which makes for fewer IR FI’s and less incentive to equip club aircraft for IFR, which contributes to a higher barrier to entry. All of which leads to a lower percentage of PPLs holding an IR, which leads to less cultural pressure to pursue said IR, which contributes to lower demand. By contrast, in the US there is considerable natural pressure to pursue an IR, both from fellow pilots and from CFIs (who almost universally have an IR), and most clubs have IFR-equipped aircraft.
I will say that there’s another factor I’ve noticed from people in this very forum, and that’s a sort of “minimum IFR equipment mentality” that doesn’t exist so much in the US. I flew IFR happily for many years in IMC with no autopilot, a basic six pack, and either no GPS or a basic unit (think KLN89B or similar). Granted it’s a lot of work, and there’s less redundancy, but this idea that you need two of everything and an autopilot to safely fly IFR is another obstacle considering very few club aircraft meet this standard. And years of hand-flying on instruments creates a level of proficiency that’s arguably more important than any gadget.
dutch_flyer wrote:
The more I read this the more it feels like it’s all part of a negative feedback loop.
Very true. Also good analysis thereafter.
For me, very clearly, the main reason I have not been able to get my IR revalidated is the requirement to repeat the whole theory. And full IR and CBIR, the theory requirements are practically the same.
dutch_flyer wrote:
I will say that there’s another factor I’ve noticed from people in this very forum, and that’s a sort of “minimum IFR equipment mentality” that doesn’t exist so much in the US.
This stems from the former certification requirements we had in most countries, which demanded high end equipped airplanes. While this is different today where, like in the US, it is up to the PIC to decide if he is sufficiently equipped to fly a particular leg IFR or not, the mentality is still there. Add to it that IFR with it’s route structure really does require at least a proper GPS these days. Other than that, IFR could be done with a lot more airplanes than people think it can.
I am not so sure. The “hassle equipment”, no longer needed, is really just an ADF. DME remains very useful in Europe, along with ILS. This isn’t the US… with a GPS approach to almost every runway. VOR? Never used today but it comes free with a VHF radio, if you have a CDI.
What we have seen here is people having 5 figures burning a hole in their pocket and spending it on eye candy, with a lot of 50k-100k refits on a ~150k plane which probably had nothing actually wrong with it. Like this. Much of this has been driven by CV19 and people not flying much but still in most cases having money, in some cases having more money due to various things like business support grants 
and looking for something to do with it.
Functionally, a KLN94 does most of what you need, and a GNS430W does all you need. Anything above that is eye candy, and not any regulatory requirement.
Okay to upgrade the club DA40D or my chums D1050 gor IFR I have looked at the possibilities.
For the D1050 it is currently impossible or incredibly difficult. One can fit all the equipment but STCs and certification are a problem.
For the DA40D I will go for the bare minimum so PBN would be a problem.
We would need to get the pitot heat working c €4000.
We would need mode S guess at €3000, we currently have mode C
We would need a second radio 8.33 or a second Garmin 430 we already have one so let’s say c.€4000
We would need a 2nd AI or turn coordinator. c €1500
Nav software guessing at €1000
There would be no NDB, not a major problem
Have I missed anything from the DA40D equipment ?
We would have no autopilot so would have an 800m minimum RVR.
Flying a POGO around Paris or several other congested areas would require extra dexterity, which some of us have sought to avoid by taking the CBIR in the first place.
gallois wrote:
We would need to get the pitot heat working c €4000.
Is it broken or doesn’t it have pitot heat at all? I’d fix that even for VFR.
gallois wrote:
We would need mode S guess at €3000, we currently have mode C
Mode S is needed anyway for any flight in CAS. What transponder have you got in there? If it’s a KT76a, get a Trig TT31, it’s pin compatible and costs about 2000 Euros. I thought flying with purely mode C is practically impossible these days? So that is something which will need to be done anyway.
gallois wrote:
We would need a second radio 8.33 or a second Garmin 430 we already have one so let’s say c.€4000
Do you need a 2nd 8.33 radio for part NCO? Not sure about this. Otherwise, there are 8.33 radios for much less. The Trig TY91 costs about 1100 Euros plus installation.
