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Real-world certificates in place of I-ratings?

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 9:02 am
by geoffeg
This might seem like an arrogant question. I'd like to do the skyhigh charter programs but they require completion of the I ratings. I'm a real-world commercial pilot (just passed my CPL checkride last weekend) with an instrument rating. Do I need to go through all the I-ratings on PE too?

Re: Real-world certificates in place of I-ratings?

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 6:02 pm
by sono
I think the challenge would be is once you start making exceptions then it gets complicated esp when everyone else in your position has done them.

Bearing in mind I and am not saying this applies to you I know that some real world pilots are a bit rusty and they need to brush up.

You should be able to rattle off the 10 i-ratings (i-9 is discontinued) in a couple of days back to back at your level. Most of them are very short flights.

They are quite enjoyable to do.

I dont know if you fly on the network already, but there is also a benefit in providing a good sim setup test if you havent done that yet.

Re: Real-world certificates in place of I-ratings?

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 6:06 am
by Kevin_atc
Keith would probably have better insight here, but no you don’t get to skip them. I think one reason for this is that just because you are RW instrument rated doesn’t necessarily mean you fully know all of the concepts that are discussed and practiced in these ratings. Granted, since you are recently instrument rated, everything should be rather fresh in your mind. However, just because someone is certified for something doesn’t mean they have mastered it. A prime example is how many times I see pilots not understand when they are required to fly the full procedure turn or when they can just hit the IAF and turn inbound.

Re: Real-world certificates in place of I-ratings?

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 6:27 am
by Keith Smith
Sorry for not answering this here...the OP also wrote to support@pilotedge.net and the question was answered there already. To close the loop on this, it's not possible to use a real world credential to get credit for the ratings. Not every current instrument pilot is familiar with SIDs, STARs, ODPs or the nuances of full approaches.

Additionally, if we allow it, then it becomes a slippery slope as you then have instrument-rated pilots who have not flown for years who will then say, "well, I hold an instrument rating...." The reality is, those pilots would greatly benefit from the refresher that it offers.

It also produces a level playing field...if someone has the SKY-1, then it means they have done the I1-I11....which, over time, has come to mean something within the community. If we change that, then the SKY-1 simply means that you've passed the SKY-1, but would not have a common frame of reference beyond that.

The good news is, there's really no downside in doing the I1-I11 flights....it's all good practice.

Re: Real-world certificates in place of I-ratings?

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 8:15 am
by Scott Medeiros
I'm a rated and current pilot flying hundreds of hours a year commercially. When I did the ratings I found there were quite a few skills that were rusty and needed the refresher. The beauty of the ratings as they're constructed is that they cover so many various VFR and IFR skills, that sometimes get rusty when we don't use them very often. The ratings are a great way to knock off the rust, and they also give you a great opportunity to become familiar with the ZLA airspace.

Also, the best way to gain experience and eventually a mastery of skills is to practice them and learn how to adapt them to variations you'll come across at different airports.