Instrument Rating Course - Frequently Asked Questions

What books do I need?

Here at Platinum, we use the Jeppesen Sandersen books that are widely used by flight schools everywhere for the ground training. You will need the Jeppesen Instrument / Commercial - Part 61 kit. This will contain most of the training materials you will need. You can pick these books up at any aviation bookstore or your Platinum instructor will help you by going to one of the pilot supply shops at the airport. You will also need your airplane specific books or Pilot Operating Handbook and in the case of the Cirrus, the Cirrus Customer Transition Training Kit if you don’t already have it. The Cirrus kits are available at our store Platinum Gear

In addition to your basic books, you will need a set of approach charts. We use and recommend the Jeppesen charts over the government issued charts, but either will do.

How about ground school?

Our business is based on personalized flight instruction, not a canned mold that everyone has to fit into. If you are the self-motivated, self-study type of individual you can use the books and videos that are available on the market today and do most of the ground training yourself and we can just help you along. Sporty’s Pilot Shop offers a great set of DVD’s that we recommend to all of our clients. If you choose the self-study method, you must follow through with it and keep up, or you will spend unnecessary hours in the plane trying to learn things you should have learned on the ground.

We offer one on one ground training for those that desire a little more guidance. Most people choose a combination of self-study and instructor lead ground. We do not offer group ground courses.

How do I schedule my lessons?

Platinum has convenient, online scheduling. You can go ahead and set yourself up for that now, by going to the home page and clicking on “Online Scheduling”. Once you register and we approve you for access, you can simply book time with your instructor and the aircraft of your choice when it’s convenient for you. Your instructor will always be available by phone of course to help with schedule planning. You should either come by the office or call before you start scheduling to find out which instructor to book.

Which type of plane is better to learn in?

People have learned for years in traditional “steam gauge” aircraft. The net result from learning in these types of aircraft or in the newer “glass panel” planes is the same. Many people are choosing to use the glass panel aircraft in order to build time in those aircraft while getting the instrument rating. Obviously budget comes into play if you choose the more expensive Cirrus aircraft. The glass cockpit aircraft do offer much greater situational awareness, which tends to help in grasping some of the IFR procedures.