Accelerated · Instrument Rating

Punch through
the clouds.

You’re a frustrated VFR pilot tired of cancelling for low visibility and/or ceiling. Your Instrument Rating is the next logical step — and at CRAFT it’s a 7-day program in the Diamond DA40NG along with the Redbird AATD simulator, solving your frustration.

7 days
Train · Test · Done
20 hrs
Redbird AATD Time
G1000
DA40NG · GFC700
DPE in weeks
Not Months
Use CRAFT's Diamond DA40NG
$9,800
Up to 30 hrs instrument flight instruction · 15 hrs Redbird AATD · 15 hrs in DA40 NG · 2 hrs checkride aircraft · dedicated CFII · all training materials
Bring Your Own Plane
$5,850
Up to 30 hrs instrument flight instruction · 15 hrs Redbird AATD · 15 hrs in your aircraft · dedicated CFII · aircraft must meet IFR equipment requirements — ask us if unsure.
The Edge

Sim mornings.
Airplane afternoons.

The FAA lets you log a meaningful chunk of your required instrument time in the Redbird AATD — pure approach reps without burning Hobbs, waiting on ATC, or chasing weather. Most students show up sharp on flight day because the procedure is already in muscle memory.

Why the Redbird changes the math.

An IFR student's biggest enemy is repetition cost. In the airplane, one approach + missed + reset eats 30 minutes of Hobbs and a chunk of fuel. In the sim, you can fly the same approach four times in 20 minutes, then hit the airplane with it dialed.

  • Fly the same approach back-to-back without ATC delays
  • Restart from any point — FAF, missed, vector to final
  • Train in pure IMC with zero outside reference
  • Build a real instrument scan before the airplane piles cost on top
  • FAA-approved for IPC, except circling and the actual landing
20hrs
Redbird AATD Loggable Time
FAA-approved AATD time toward your Instrument Rating — legally documented hours, real procedure repetition, zero airplane fuel burn.
What's In · What's Required

The course
in plain English.

What's Included

  • 6 days of training, weather dependent · 7th day reserved for the checkride
  • CFII dedicated exclusively to you
  • Up to 30 hours of combined flight and Redbird sim instruction
  • 15 hours of Diamond DA40NG aircraft rental
  • 2 hours of aircraft rental for the practical exam
  • Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B)
  • Instrument Procedures Handbook (FAA-H-8083-16B)
  • Instrument Pilot Oral Exam Guide (ASA-OEG-19)
  • Instrument Rating ACS & G1000 PFD Pilot's Guide

Prerequisites

  • FAA Instrument Knowledge Test passed (bring printed AKTR)
  • 45 hours of PIC cross-country time
  • 10 hours of simulated or actual instrument time
  • Current flight review
  • Current FAA medical certificate
  • Valid US passport, US birth certificate, or TSA approval (non-US students)

Not Included

  • DPE examiner fee — typically $800 to $1,500, paid directly to the examiner
  • Airplane hours beyond 17 (15 training + 2 checkride) billed at $255/hr wet
  • Lodging (corporate hotel rates available 5–10 minutes from the airport — ask)

The Aircraft

  • Diamond DA40NG · diesel · Jet-A burning · single-lever power
  • Garmin G1000 with GFC 700 digital autopilot
  • Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT)
  • Garmin GTX 345 ADS-B (traffic + weather in)
  • Tablet connectivity for select EFB apps
  • Redbird AATD on the same G1000 panel
DPE Availability

Weeks.
Not months.

The biggest reason "accelerated" stops being accelerated isn't instruction — it's checkrides. Across much of the country, pilots finish training and then wait six months for a Designated Pilot Examiner. That delay adds cost, stress, and uncertainty.

At CRAFT, DPE availability is built into how the program is planned. Exact timing varies, but checkrides are typically scheduled in weeks, not months — you finish without indefinite waiting.

"Train. Test. Finish."

Accelerated training isn't about rushing. It's about removing the biggest bottleneck in the system.

Next Cohort

Ready to file
your first IFR plan?

Tell us your hours, your medical, and your target window. We'll match you with a CFII and a sim-block schedule.