INSTRUMENT RATING

Airplane on Parking Bay Facing A Sunset.

IR Revalidation and Renewals

The information on this page is for Instrument Ratings for Single-Pilot (SP) SEP and MEP aircraft

UKFlying can assist with UK CAA and EASA SP MEIR Revalidation and Renewals. Our instructors and examiners will assist with the training and testing for the Instrument Rating, along with completing all of the required paperwork for your relevant aviation authority. We also provide all of the test materials along with online refresher briefs. Please use the contact form below for more details.

Validities and definitions:

Licence Skills Test (LST)

Initial IR test. Set profile and flown with a CAA / EASA appointed examiner. CAA examiner fee is approx £850 for the test. Valid for 12-months from the end of the month in which the test was taken. Course and hours details here.

Revalidation - IR is still current.

Can be revalidated up to 3-months before expiry to extend original expiry by 12 months. You can revalidate outside of 3-months but the IR expiry date will be 12-months from the end of the month in which the test is taken.
No requirement to complete extra training before the test.
Each alternate IR may be completed in an approved simulator, which is considerably cheaper than an aircraft.
You can choose which approaches you want to fly and at what airfields, but require an RNP and ILS along with a hold.
You can choose your own examiner.
SEP or MEP rating must be valid on the day of the test.
For a IR-SP-ME/SE rating, both the SEP and MEP must be valid on the day of the test.
Industry standard is £250-400 for the examiner.
Test should take approx 1:00-1:30.

Renewal - IR has expired. Expiry is more than 1 day beyond expiry date but less than 7-years beyond expiry.

A 'Course Completion Certificate' is required to confirm what extra training has been completed before the IR test can proceed.
The training is at the discretion of the 'Head of Training' from an ATO, it can be 'no training required'.
Test must be completed in an aircraft.
You can choose which approaches you want to fly and at what airfields, but require an RNP and ILS along with a hold.
You can choose your own examiner.
Industry standard is £250-400 for the examiner.
SEP or MEP rating must be valid on the day of the test, or it is being renewed during the test.
For a IR-SP-ME/SE rating, both the SEP and MEP must be valid on the day of the test.
Test should take approx 1:00-1:30.

IR has expired more than 7 years ago (approx 8 years from test), it becomes void and theory exams need to be retaken.

If you don't have PBN privileges on your licence then you will need to add them during your IR test. The easiest way is to complete a PBN theory CBT package and gain a 'Course Completion Certificate'. BGS charge £45 for this. The examiner can then complete the PBN oral exam along with the PBN (RNP) approach.

UKFlying Test Prices for CAA and EASA licences:

IR-SP-ME DA-42 Simulator Revalidation - from £450
IR-SP-ME DA-42 Simulator Revalidation with training (training and test completed on same day) - £799
IR-SP-ME DA-42 Aircraft Renewal or Revalidation - from £810
MEP and IR-SP-ME DA-42 Aircraft Renewal or Revalidation - from £880

All aircraft (not simulator) fees above are based on a 1hr30min test for comparison to other companies. Often the tests in the aircraft take 2hrs due to ATC, approach slot availability, taxi-time etc. Another 30mins costs approximately £170.

Tests fees above include the following:

DA-42 aircraft or simulator hire
EASA or CAA examiner fee who will complete all of the required paperwork for your aviation authority
Access to online UKFlying created refresher briefs to allow you to study at home, saving both time and money
Access to test guides, checklists, POH, suggested profiles, approach plates, tech briefs, basically all the items you need for the test

We can also arrange DA-42 simulator and aircraft refresher training as required.

Pilots revalidating or renewing an IR must hold a valid Class or Type rating on the aircraft used for the test from 16 Mar 20. If the Class or Type rating expires before the IR expires, then the IR is still valid until its expiry. More information and details on whether to keep the MEP rating valid can be found here.

For more details or a quote, please complete the contact form below. We will reply within 48hrs, if you don't get a reply, please check you spam / junk folder.