Hypothetical... Instrument rating question

Rotor2Wing

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Sitting here doing a little studying and my mind drifted a little.

Say you have a PVT SEL and MEL w/o an Instrument rating. You then add an instrument rating to the MEL and do your initial commercial in a MEL. Now you hold a Comm/Inst MEL and PVT SEL. You then want to add the instrument to the PVT SEL. Does a ILS check ride cover it or do you have to do the full ride?

I know in the real world you would just do a couple of landings and the approach to add the Comm/Inst SEL to the MEL for the same price so it wouldn't make a lot on sense to just add the instrument to the PVT.
 
Sitting here doing a little studying and my mind drifted a little.

Say you have a PVT SEL and MEL w/o an Instrument rating. You then add an instrument rating to the MEL and do your initial commercial in a MEL. Now you hold a Comm/Inst MEL and PVT SEL. You then want to add the instrument to the PVT SEL. Does a ILS check ride cover it or do you have to do the full ride?

I know in the real world you would just do a couple of landings and the approach to add the Comm/Inst SEL to the MEL for the same price so it wouldn't make a lot on sense to just add the instrument to the PVT.
I don't have the regs in front of me, but if I understand correctly, your scenario involves someone who did their IRA in the multi instead of the single, right? In that case, their IRA is also good for the single and no additional checkride will be necessary.
 
I don't have the regs in front of me, but if I understand correctly, your scenario involves someone who did their IRA in the multi instead of the single, right? In that case, their IRA is also good for the single and no additional checkride will be necessary.

Yes thats what Im saying. Hmmm did not know that if you did it in the multi first it covered the single. Im the one that needs to get the regs out it seems!
 
I guess the reason is because the only need for a SEL to MEL checkride is for the single engine approach. Right?

A150K
 
A150 is right. The instrument rating is just that. A rating. Best way I can think of to explain it is that you have a Certificate (e.g. Private) that acts as a foundation. Then you build on that with ratings. Examples: ASEL, AMEL, IRA, Rotorcraft (and it's associated class ratings), Airship, etc. When you get your Instrument Rating Airplane,* that is added to your PPL, and has no bearing on SEL or MEL.

Now, I can see where some confusion can come in with the Multi rating, as if you choose not to do the Single Engine Approach, you will have a Limitation on your Certificate that states something along the lines of "Limited to VFR in multiengine aircraft." A limitation is different than a rating. You are still rated to as an Instrument pilot in Airplanes. You just have a limitation when it comes to multiengine aircraft. (Did I repeat myself enough?..)

*The word Airplane is important, as there are Instrument ratings for other aircraft categories.
 
It's not just that it's a rating. It's that it's specifically a category but not class rating. It's "instrument-airplane" not "instrument, single-engine airplane." See FAR 61.5 and 61.65.

Yo see the same thing in the currency reg - 61.57. Notice that for passenger/landing currency, the required landings must be in the category and class of aircraft but for instrument currency, category only.
I guess the reason is because the only need for a SEL to MEL checkride is for the single engine approach. Right?
Exactly!
 
The instrument is a RATING, which is specific to a CATEGORY (Airplane, Rotorcraft, Airship, etc...).

There's no such thing an IRA ASEL. It's Limitations: Instrument - Airplane. Notice the lack of class (sel, mel, ses, mes)
 
The instrument is a RATING, which is specific to a CATEGORY (Airplane, Rotorcraft, Airship, etc...).

There's no such thing an IRA ASEL. It's Limitations: Instrument - Airplane. Notice the lack of class (sel, mel, ses, mes)
Not quite. If a person holds both sel and mel certificates with no instrument rating, and then takes the instrument checkride in a single, he will only have instrument privileges on the sel certificate. Most people never deal with this because they get the instrument before the multi. I had my multi before the instrument, and took the checkride in a twin so it would cover both.

Sent via teletype
 
Not quite. If a person holds both sel and mel certificates with no instrument rating, and then takes the instrument checkride in a single, he will only have instrument privileges on the sel certificate.
Yes but it's stated as a limitation on the instrument rating. The rating itself is category but not class specific.
 
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