Ten Days Until Your IFR Rating? Almost!

My accelerated instrument training with PIC: What it was like for me, and why it might be right for you.

For a lot of general aviation pilots, the acquisition of an instrument rating (if they don’t already have one) is something that is often on their mind. Anyone that has acquired the rating would tell you that it makes for a safer pilot, and I’m no exception to that line of thinking. But I understand that getting your instrument rating is easier said than done. Yes, there are the knowledge and airmanship requirements, but it can be a logistical nightmare to put it all together. Between finding a CFII, finding the right aircraft for your IFR training, and finding the time and money to get it all done . . . it makes figuring out the right hold entry seem pretty easy!

When the time came for me to seriously address my lack of instrument training, I was fortunate enough to have all the necessary boxes checked in order to take on PIC’s ten-day program in my family’s Piper Aztec. Rather than get lost in the nitty gritty of my time with my CFII Walter Nindl, I thought I’d put together a few “what to expect” items for anyone who has interest in one of these programs.

Orientation and application

I contacted a handful of entities to inquire about their ten-day IFR courses, and PIC was one of the first programs to respond. Apart from their prompt response, one of the most attractive aspects of the PIC program was that they would send a CFII to me. As someone with a wife and dog at home (and a job that would still need some attention during my training period), the idea of being able to stay nearby was appealing to all involved.

After an initial email exchange with PIC, I received a phone call from one of the program’s administrators, John. He and I had a thirty-minute discussion pertaining to what I hoped to get out of the program and the aircraft I planned to use. John was both friendly and knowledgeable, which made me feel very comfortable about selecting the PIC program. Following our conversation, there was some paperwork to be completed, and then training was scheduled. The entire application and scheduling process took a week, and my training was scheduled for just less than a month away from the time I initially contacted them.

Try to show up prepared

Between the time I scheduled my training and the beginning of my ten-day program, I tried my best to become as comfortable as I could in the airplane I planned to use. My dad is an instrument-rated pilot with a significant amount of experience in our family’s Aztec, so he and I spent many hours going over general maneuvers and introducing me to basic IFR-related operations. He didn’t have me flying approaches under the hood, but we did a considerable amount of air work together before my training officially began. Being familiar with the aircraft before I ever started the training gave me one less thing to be worried about while I worked on the matters at hand. It’s a lot easier to fly approaches when you already know a good power setting for 500 feet per minute descents!

Training

My CFII brought with him PIC’s general syllabus of things to go over, as well as a few additional items specific to the check airman (DPE) we planned to use. (A note to all readers: any time you have the opportunity to work with a DPE that your CFII knows, do it. Your check-ride will be challenging enough; there’s no reason to sign yourself up for any curveballs you might be able to avoid otherwise.)

Walter and I benefitted from a wonderful streak of good weather during my scheduled time, so he and I were able to develop a consistent routine. Each day would begin with ground school, followed by a briefing of our anticipated morning flying. That morning flight would typically go around two to three hours. We would then break for lunch. The afternoon would start with another preflight briefing and subsequent flight (usually a bit shorter than the morning flight), and then a debrief of the entire day. My instrument program came with a little bit of homework to do in the evenings as well. This would typically be ground school reading and worksheets that would take from thirty minutes to an hour to complete. So in a given day, I was looking at between four to five hours of flying, a couple hours of ground school, and some sort of homework. All in all, it was about a nine hour commitment per day, which left me tired, but not so exhausted that I wasn’t ready to go the next day.

Is it really ten consecutive days? Can I have a break?

The answer to this question will likely depend on the program you use, your CFII’s schedule, and how the flying is going. While I’m sure there are better instrument students that have gone through the PIC program than myself, I was a little bit ahead of schedule after the first few days, and my CFII had a doctor’s appointment that he needed to attend at the midway point. Because of that, I ended up with a one day break during my program while he went home to attend to that appointment. So my training was actually four days, a one-day break, and then five more days before Walter decided I was good to go.

Walter did tell me that he had worked with students who told him that they needed a day off because they were fatigued. I was twenty-seven at the time of my training, so I’m certain that my energy levels benefited from that. However, I never felt remotely close to the point of thinking I needed a day off. I would attribute that to feeling relatively well prepared before the training ever began. My flights with Walter all went smoothly, and apart from the inherently demanding nature of instrument flying, there wasn’t anything particularly grueling about it.

So, in my case, I was awarded a “free” break, although I don’t know that it had much impact on the situation (I went back to work!). However, I was under the impression that I could have requested a day off if I had wanted one—but I would have had to pay the instructor fee for the day if I had chosen to do so. Be that as it may, if you come into your ten-day program ready to go, I suspect you’ll find yourself wanting to just get it done.

What about the check-ride? How does that get sorted out?

You’ll never be a more proficient instrument pilot than you are at the completion of your instrument rating. So the closer you can schedule your check-ride to the completion of your program, the better.

When it’s check-ride time, there are two great perks that come with the PIC instructors:

1. They all have their own network of DPEs that they work with (since they offer all of their training in the same general geographical location), and thus, you tend to benefit from priority scheduling with the DPEs and you’ll benefit from your CFII’s first-hand knowledge of the DPE’s typical check-rides.

2. Because your CFII is relatively local, you can expect them to be there for your check-ride day. This can certainly do a lot to put your nerves at ease.

My IFR training program took place from May 15^th through May 24^th. My check-ride was May 30^th. Normally, I would tell you that a six-day window from the end of training to the check-ride day is probably perfect. It gives you ample time to mentally recuperate from all of the flying, and also provides a chance to re-open the books and refresh your school.

That six-day window is great as long as you don’t fill it with nonsense behavior, like I did!

From May 26^th to May 28^th I went on a pre-planned golf trip with some close friends of mine. I distinctly remember finding a secluded place in a Cincinnati casino to review approach plates while my buddies finished gambling at 1:00am on the last night of the trip. It’s a very fond memory—but it’s not recommended. Luckily for me, Walter agreed to meet up the day before the check-ride to do a quick refresher together. It was a big help.

I imagine most of the ten-day programs like PIC will have DPE options readily available for you. I would take advantage of them, and I would try your best to schedule that check-ride as close to the end of your training as you can.

Any criticism of PIC? What did it all cost?

My only criticism of PIC would be that as part of the advertised training, they normally send an IFR approved flight-training device (FTD) that can be used in place of some in-aircraft training. The device that was sent to Walter and I arrived INOP, and we weren’t able to use it at all. As you can imagine, every hour flown in a light-twin only adds to the cost of the experience, so it was disappointing that we weren’t able to use the FTD. To PIC’s credit, they waived the cost of one day of instruction for the hassle. I don’t know that it quite offset the money disparity there, but it certainly minimized it.

The costs included with a PIC program are pretty straightforward:

• Your daily CFII rate

• Your CFII’s hotel costs

• Your CFII’s travel expenses to get on site

Not included with this is your check-ride cost, which will vary by DPE (typically between $400–$600 (An edit in 2025: As I understand it, this number may be obselete).

As for the PIC program, my total bill came to right around $7,500. For planning purposes, you’ll also need to include your hourly flying costs. In a quick review of my logbook, it looks like I spent about thirty-seven hours in the airplane over those two weeks.

Final thoughts

I’m thankful for the PIC program, and especially grateful for my CFII Walter Nindl. As someone whose flight training has always been unorthodox, opting for a ten-day IFR course seemed perfectly in step with what I have been accustomed to. Even so, I recognize that completing such a program can be a bit daunting for some pilots. If you’re someone who likes a slower, more methodical approach, I don’t know that I recommend it. Or if you have personal commitments that make two weeks of nothing but flying an unfeasible task, then of course a steady program over a period of a few months would be a better fit.

But, if you can check all of the boxes to take this task on, I assure you, you’ll be ready to go.

April 2024 © Facer Insurance Agency, Inc. Requests to reproduce or redistribute our material may be sent to facerinsurance@gmail.com and may be approved only upon condition of credit to us.