Our IR Training Aircraft G-OMNI
Rate One Aviation – Europe’s leading PPL Instrument Training Specialist
We are a small, highly specialist ATO providing advanced pilot training, mostly instrument flying training, for private pilots. We have no direct involvement in basic PPL or CPL training, although some of our students have CPLs and ATPLs. We provide training for UK Part-FCL ratings and have not sought approval as a training provider for EASA licence holders.
Gaining a UK Part-FCL Instrument Rating is easier with the new Competency Based route. Unlike the previous standard 50 or 55-hour courses, the duration, format and content will vary according to each pilot’s skill and ability. We customise and adapt training to suit each individual, maximising the value of time spent. We generally train in 3-4 day blocks. This is sufficient to acquire and consolidate instrument flying skills, and maximises benefit; longer periods of training are often fatiguing and subject to the law of diminishing returns. We can generally accommodate scheduling across several separate intensive blocks to fit in with your own availability.
We can either use our Piper Arrow II equipped with Avidyne IFD440, Garmin GI275 AI and HSI, and Garmin GFC500 autopilot, ADF and DME, or your own aircraft. This can be either SEP, MEP, or Cessna SET, and with an avionics fit appropriate for IFR use, which means compliance with Part-NCO. If you require training on a specific avionics fit, we are able to provide this tailored to your requirements and those of the IR skills test. We share the facilities of the Cotswold Aero Club, which are modern, spacious, and well-equipped, and we have dedicated use of our own classroom. We have a strong sense of commitment to our students, and once we start training we make ourselves freely available for email, phone and teleconference discussions and briefings.
Our instructors have been hand-picked for their wide experience of instrument instruction with private aviators. We have examiners on-staff who are authorised to conduct SEP, MEP and Cessna SET IR revalidations and renewals. For pilots wishing to acquire an Instrument Rating for private use, there is no better organisation to address your flight training needs.
For those seeking more detailed introductory information, we recommend joining PPL/IR Europe, an organisation dedicated to the development and use of IF skills in private pilots. If you sign up for training with us, we provide a PDF of “Instrument Flying for the Private Pilot”, a comprehensive 250+ page guide written by our founder, Jim Thorpe. The scope includes explanations of the IF ratings available in the UK, Europe, Australia and Canada, and how to convert an ICAO-compliant “third country” IR as well as a description of what’s involved in gaining an IR and what you can do after passing the skills test.
The next step would be to sign up for the Theoretical Knowledge course with one of the approved providers. After passing the exams, you will be ready to commence flight training. At any stage, you can spend a day with us to understand what will be expected from you during your IR flight training.
We are happy to advise on the choices open to you.