The Instrument Rating (Restricted) course is a natural step forward for those who have qualified for their Private Pilot Licence. It permits pilots to fly safely in poor weather conditions, although the real purpose is to ensure that a flight may safely continue should the pilot inadvertantly encounter bad weather conditions en-route.

The course requires a minimum of 15 hours with an instructor followed by a flight test, lasting approximately an hour and a quarter.

The course commences with training in general handling of the aircraft with sole reference to the instruments by use of screens covering the windows or special goggles. The student will be taught to recover from unusual attitudes to straight and level flight using the full panel of instruments, before progressing to recovery with limited panel. Tracking to and from VOR and NDB facilities, develops the skills needed to carry out procedural approaches, which will include holding, together with NDB and ILS approaches allowing you to fly down to 500 feet above the airfield to clear cloud, with a minimum of 1800 metres in-flight visibility.