Hi @MarcelK, I did the IR theory with Orbit in 2012.
At that time the IR course material contained a lot of ATPL stuff and I was supposed to filter it out myself.
They’re just a reseller of the Bristol Groundschool courses.
Regarding the progress tests: Do the progress test once, fail, review it and note the correct answer. Do it again and score 100% :-)
I’ve met people at the classroom sessions who had not even started with the course.
You can pass the exams by just practicing the question database. I did it for Airlaw and scored 95%…
You can pass the exams by just practicing the question database
Is that possible on the CB IR or EIR?
It was not possible on the 7-exam JAA IR or on the 15hr ICAO IR to JAA IR conversion route.
The reason was the ATO “homework” which had to be handed in with a certain pass mark (usually undocumented) before the ATO would sign you off as “good enough” for the exams. This is why most prefer CATS over say GTS – the CATS homework is basically QB questions 
Hi Len.
That is exactly how i’m doing it now. So far i did all the IR theory for MET, COMM, HP and i’m almost finished with INS.
Doing all the quizes and PT’s. Next i plan to revisit my study notes, and start on practise questions, lots of them.
@Peter; you have to pass the PT’s in order to be eligible for the exams. But since the CB-IR course at Orbit isn’t really an CB-IR course (but IR with notes what roughly to learn and what not) not all PT’s can be made. The only way around that is what Len described: do the PT, fail, look at the answers and do it again.
Hi all,
First post so not sure if this is in the correct place.
I’m seriously considering the En-Route Instrument rating as first step towards a “proper” instrument rating beyond my current UK IMCR/IR(R) rating and would be keen to hear other peoples experiences.
Most of the flying I do out of my home base at North Weald (EGSX) tends to exclusively be day trips or weekends / long weekends to France and Belgium during better months and when the weather at the destination is forecast to be “nice”. Since having the IMC rating, my utility has increased somewhat with the ability (and confidence) to deal with occasional ad-hoc IMC in the UK en-route portion of my flights and being able to get on-top when I can. The reason I am attracted to the EIR is that I see this as a way to extend my IR(R) privileges in a more formal way (IFR flight plan, access to Class A, valid overseas etc) and knowing that if my destination is VMC, I can file an IFR flight plan, get above the weather and be in the IFR system for most of the journey prior to descending to MSA and switching to VFR for arrival (within the limitations of a PA-28).
With regards to the full-IR / CB-IR I don’t think that would give me much more at this stage as I wouldn’t really be going to a particular destination if the forecast wasn’t great and for the return journey I have my IMC rating to be able to get back home.
As such it would seem UK IMCR + EASA EIR would be a perfect combination for me.
My question is what are other peoples views on this topic? Am I deluded?
Thanks
AviatorDelta
Hi,
I’m at a similar stage minus the IMCR. I’m considering the E-IR as a step towards the CB-IR and I might do it next year.
So I don’t have any experience to share. Just one point to note: I would argue the actual utility value of the E-IR (in contrast to viewing it as a step towards CB-IR) varies greatly by country and you should check the countries you plan to visit (I believe you did, by mentioning France and Belgium).
For example, in Germany, the E-IR will be useless for airspace access because there isn’t any airspace you can’t access without it (i.e. no class A). There’s some CTRs that you can fly around or ask for a clearance to cross, which is usually granted (expect for maybe EDDF) and then there’s class C from FL100 onwards (usually), which you can access VFR, too.
Then, if there is a cloud base lower than the minimum radar vectoring altitude, you won’t be able to cross from VFR/VMC to IFR through IMC legally because there is no uncontrolled IFR in Germany. If the cloud base is higher, you might as well fly VFR. 
So I would say, the utility of the E-IR in Germany is limited. Countries with more restricted airspace (like UK) or with different weather characteristics (somebody once said the E-IR can be quite useful in the Nordic countries for cross country flight) will warrant a different perspective.
In France, I could imagine it’s just more relaxing to fly IFR enroute rather than worrying about the extremely complex airspace structure that you find on paper. Then again, once flying VFR in France, you usually get cleared through a lot of that stuff, anyway. But with E-IR, it would be more reliable to plan.
In France, I could imagine it’s just more relaxing to fly IFR enroute rather than worrying about the extremely complex airspace structure that you find on paper. Then again, once flying VFR in France, you usually get cleared through a lot of that stuff, anyway. But with E-IR, it would be more reliable to plan.
In France, you cannot (IME, for many years now) get VFR above FL115. I suspect they did that to stop people flying King Airs and TBMs etc at FL195 “VFR” and avoiding the IFR route charges. In many ways, France is a “gateway” between N Europe and some S European countries who often don’t care, so VFR right up to FL200 would have been handy. So an EIR will open up the whole airspace, including FL200+ which is Class A.
Also, flying in the French Class E, FL065-115, VFR or IFR, often puts you into cloud.
Most French GA flies between SFC and maybe 2000ft (like the UK) but (unlike the UK) they don’t take advantage of the easy to use FL065-115 airspace.
I am in a similar position to you and have reached the same conclusion. I think in terms of utility gained vs. effort, the EIR + IMCR is a great combination. My aim is to get out of the UK to go somewhere that has nice weather. If the weather at my destination is such that it would require an IFR approach, I probably don’t want to go there anyway. The EIR + IMCR would allow one to escape the UK and get back in again, thereby giving a lot of flexibility.
I have not found very many schools that know anything at all about the EIR. I read somewhere that few schools are interested in the PPL-IR. Even fewer seem to be interested in a partial PPL-IR (i.e. the EIR).
Something to think about also, is your ability to actually use the Class-A airspace structure in the UK. There are plenty of airways in the UK that have awkward profiles for GA traffic – such as routes in CAS that starts at 3000 feet but where the base of CAS climbs up to FL150. You risk not being able to stay in the airways system and you would need oxygen. Given your location, this might not be of much concern if your aim is to primarily head South of the London TMA.
Thanks for the replies thus far. They’ve been very helpful and a great first introduction to the forum.
@Patrick. I think my logic was indeed about reliability of planning and more relaxing flight doing it under IFR
@Finners. Good to see others in the UK share my logic and conclusion. Perhaps I’m not deluded! Fair point about the ability to use Class A but almost every flight I conduct is heading South of the LTMA so should not be much of a concern.
There are a few schools advertising the E-IR on their website but I’ve not made any contact yet so not sure how “real” they are. I will probably start to make inquiries to see how mature they are with the E-IR. On a side topic regarding the CB-IR/E-IR Theory, I presume that if I pass the theory and then get the E-IR, the theory passes will be good for a subsequent CB-IR?
AviatorDelta wrote:
On a side topic regarding the CB-IR/E-IR Theory, I presume that if I pass the theory and then get the E-IR, the theory passes will be good for a subsequent CB-IR?
Affirm.
Great. Thanks Patrick
