Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total cost to instrument rating
$11,000
Aircraft rental total
$5,775
Simulator total
$825
CFII instruction total
$3,500
Average cost per training hour
$220
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How to use this
- 1Enter real aircraft hours.
- 2Enter simulator/aatd hours.
- 3Enter aircraft rental rate ($/hr).
- 4Enter simulator rate ($/hr).
- 5Enter cfii rate ($/hr).
- 6Enter written exam + checkride fees ($).
- 7Read your total cost to instrument rating on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
The FAA minimum is 40 hours of instrument time (with some part-141 programs allowing fewer), but most part-61 students need 50-60 total hours including simulator time to reach checkride standards, because instrument flying is a denser skill set learned at a different pace than initial private training. This calculator totals aircraft time, CFII time, an allowance for simulator/AATD hours at a lower rate, and the fixed costs of the written exam and checkride into one realistic budget for the rating.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Real aircraft hours: 35
- Simulator/AATD hours: 15
- Aircraft rental rate: 165 $/hr
- Simulator rate: 55 $/hr
- CFII rate: 70 $/hr
- Written exam + checkride fees: 900 $
Results
- Total cost to instrument rating: $11,000
- Aircraft rental total: $5,775
- Simulator total: $825
- CFII instruction total: $3,500
- Average cost per training hour: $220
What each field means
Inputs
- Real aircraft hours
- The real aircraft hours used in the calculation. Starts at 35 so you have a working example on load.
- Simulator/AATD hours
- The simulator/aatd hours used in the calculation. Starts at 15 so you have a working example on load.
- Aircraft rental rate ($/hr)
- The aircraft rental rate used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 165 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
- Simulator rate ($/hr)
- The simulator rate used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 55 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
- CFII rate ($/hr)
- The cfii rate used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 70 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
- Written exam + checkride fees ($)
- The written exam + checkride fees used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 900 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total cost to instrument rating
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Aircraft rental total
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Simulator total
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- CFII instruction total
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Average cost per training hour
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How much can simulator time actually reduce cost?
An AATD like a Redbird typically costs $40-70/hr versus $150-250+/hr for real aircraft, and 61.65 allows up to 20 hours of AATD time (10 for a BATD) to count toward the 40-hour instrument time requirement. Shifting procedural practice — holds, approaches, partial panel — to the sim before flying them in the airplane is the single biggest lever to cut total cost.
Why do part-141 programs sometimes cost less?
Part 141 programs can be approved for as few as 35 hours total instrument time versus part 61's 40-hour minimum, and their structured syllabus tends to reduce wasted repetition. However, 141 programs often charge a package price that assumes you stay on the structured timeline, and delays or extra hours needed outside the syllabus can add unplanned cost.
Is the instrument rating worth the cost?
For pilots who want the airplane to be a real transportation tool rather than a fair-weather-only pursuit, yes — it dramatically increases the percentage of days you can complete a planned trip. For pure recreational flying with total schedule flexibility, many pilots delay it since the utility-per-dollar is lower if you can just wait for good VFR weather.
What commonly blows the budget on this rating?
Weather cancellations are worse for instrument training than VFR training in one sense — you often need actual or simulated instrument conditions and can't always substitute a nice day, so scheduling delays compound. Also, holding procedures and approach sequencing take most students more repetitions than expected; budget 10-15% contingency above your initial hour estimate.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Budget the hours and dollars from PPL to a commercial certificate.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Instrument Rating Total Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/instrument-rating-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/instrument-rating-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instrument Rating Total Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Instrument Rating Total Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/instrument-rating-cost) (2026).