Well done!
In your write-up you say “I’ve now sent my application to the UK CAA for the inclusion of my Instrument Rating. It’s only then I really can use it….”
Did you not get a Temporary Certificate from the examiner? Looking back from my docs from 2018, it was an SRG 1100 valid for 8 weeks. The CAA took about 12 weeks to issue the IR.
Congratulations- it’s a demanding course and test. Your detailed write up was very helpful to explain what’s involved. Separating your initial training with an IRI from the final polishing up at an ATO made a lot of sense to me.
How many hours did you log with your IRI and subsequently with the ATO?
Did you make use of a sim (certified or not) – there’s no mention in your write up.
As MarkW says, you could have been issued an SRG1100 by your examiner on the day, and most examiners would likely provide one if asked subsequently.
Make good use of it – it is a hard won privilege with skills that degrade quickly if not used regularly
Thanks for reading @Graham – glad you enjoyed it! It was a long ride indeed and I wish
Hi @MarkW unfortunately the IRE didn’t want to do it. I think I need to let my bank account relax anyway 🤣
But I would like to hope the CAA will process relatively quickly. They took payment two working days after they received it via email. Hoping for a first airways trip soon 🙏
@DavidC Thank you. I felt that would be very beneficial to everyone to see what the course is all about and how tailored it is to you. But it’s no easy feat, you have to expect delays and inevitable consequences of these delays.
I’ll have to double check when I’m home from Spain, as I plan to update this blog with the hours flown in each section and how many hours experience I had. I tried doing it whilst I was out here, however the format was horrendous.
No sim was used, however I did use a couple of tools learning the avionics and from reading the manuals to get up to speed with the Avionics. Something I’ll add when I’m home.
I take it no IRE would issue it now though? No chance of finding one surely.
I plan to use it wisely, and I’m gonna do a check in 6 months with an IRI to make sure my skills are intact. Probably after every winter as with a non-FIKI aircraft I won’t use it much in the dark long months. I know its not required, but I think there’s nothing wrong with doing so to remain proficient. Airline pilots do it.
Congratulations @pilotrobbie for a successful test!
I passed the CB-IR flight test two days ago so I know what does it mean!
As David said, it’s a demanding course and test, but I’m sure it will be very rewarding in the future flights 
I take it no IRE would issue it now though? No chance of finding one surely.
I believe it would have to be the IRE who conducted your skill test.
Think of your rating lasting for 9 months before revalidation and thereafter one year, because you can revalidate up to three months before expiry and you REALLY don’t want it to expire – means you have to be signed off by an ATO before retest. There are often delays getting revalidation for all sorts of reasons – one at the moment is the backlog of examiners awaiting their own renewal/revalidation/licence.
Hi All,
IR arrived on 12th just before lunchtime. So about 14 working days from the moment I sent the application off.
I’ll probably add the following to the blog and will try and get @Peter to post it on this website.;
Flew my first IFR trip to Newquay on the Friday 13th, everything went well except the seagull that crapped on me whilst I was having my Cornish Pasty…..
pilotrobbie wrote:
Hi @MarkW unfortunately the IRE didn’t want to do it.
Complain. Massively. You pay hundreds to him/her and thousands to get ready for the test, and he refused to do the one thing that allows you to use your hard-earned privileges. Nobody would be using that examiner for an IRT again if they knew in advance.
A final flight did take place before I commenced the Instrument Rating Training. It really was nowhere near perfect with a hot approach and landing into Southend after an ILS and a below-average performance for an RNP into Southend.
The steeper learning curve got steeper after this, as I worked very hard over the coming months to gain that all-important Instrument Rating and removing any bad points of my flying and improving everything I once learned all those years ago on the IMC Rating.
I give you a teaser of what is coming up in the first moments of the vlog, take a look at the schedule below with finally some IFR Airways trips coming up…
Here’s one last trip in the midst of my IR training. I also talk a bit about my IR training progress and the plans that I have.
After carefully studying the weather reports, the satellite-derived radar data I opted to depart for Kemble. Unfortunately, a shortwave must have developed east of the weather and provided an intense IMC experience with the only escape being an airborne return to Stapleford.
The weather annoyingly did improve after I diverted but I tried for another day and lived for another day. A cool visit to an airport that’s been very synonymous with the CORONAVIUS pandemic with many airlines retiring their Boeing 747’s and other fleets to this beautiful airport in the Cotswold’s.
Since this flight took place in early July, Cotswold Aiport has had RNP Instrument Approach Procedures approved and is currently in AIRAC and due to be published (live) on September 9th, 2021.
In other news, I hope to update the blog with better pictures, and some of the suggested improvements by this weekend. The next video will be my first IFR trip….
I’ve updated ‘The IFR Journey’ to make it just that little more comprehensive. I have now included Information on the GTN Xi trainer & flight sim, hours flown & experience crediting along with details on my application (Including some tips), a detailed rundown of the costs, and provided some additional final thoughts, this includes some of the things I would do differently; given the chance to do it all again.
Additionally, I’ve updated the format of the blog and the positioning of the images to provide better viewing.
https://www.theflyingvlog.uk/the-ifr-journey/
Here’s some inspiration from a recent IFR flight in the Airways -
