141 Commercial Requirements?

[1highflyguy]

Ok, Part 141 Appendix D [Commercial Certification]
To be eligible for enrollment it says:
If the course is for a rating in an airplane..then the person must:
1) Hold an instrument rating..

But later under the Flight Training clause it reads:
5 hours of instrument training in a single-engine airplane.

So if you are required to come into a course with your Instrument rating then why are the extra 5 hours of instrument training needed? I stumped my instructor with this, and he hasn't gotten back to me on it, maybe you guys can clear this up.

 

[172driver]

Because if you don't continue to use your instrument skills...they will rot. I think we can all agree there should be a big difference in skill level between an instrument rated private pilot and someone certified to fly pax and cargo for $$.

I personally believe the instrument requirement should be much more than 5 hrs for the commercial ticket and that the checkride ought to include a couple of approaches. Would you put your family in a plane in the clouds with a newly instrument rated private pilot? How about someone that added some lazy 8's and chandelles to that ticket?

Maybe Part 61 is different because people tend to do the instrument and commercial ratings concurrently. They also have the flexibility to work on instrument skills throughout their training because it's less structured. However, at a 141 school, the students' instrument skills rust badly during the mostly VFR commercial, multi, and then CFI courses. By the time they get to CFI-I, they really shouldn't even be instrument rated anymore...gotta start from scratch.

Instrument training and flying in the IFR environment should be a part of all ratings.

 

[1highflyguy]

at a 141 school, the students' instrument skills rust badly during the mostly VFR commercial, multi, and then CFI courses. By the time they get to CFI-I, they really shouldn't even be instrument rated anymore...gotta start from scratch.

I hear that! It's common to have instrument students and their flight instructors to have the same amount of actual time.
Kinda scary when you get the 1 CFI-I/ MEI who has 1500+ hours and only 4 actual.