01Day One
Check-In & VOR Fundamentals
- Document + logbook validation, office tour
- Simulator orientation
- VOR familiarization in the Redbird
- Tracking, intercepting, holds, DME arcs
- Ground instruction
You’re a frustrated VFR pilot tired of cancelling for low visibility and ceiling. Your Instrument Rating is the next logical step. At CRAFT it’s a 7-day program in the Diamond DA40NG paired with our Redbird AATD simulator. Train six days, take your checkride on day seven. The checkride is booked when you book the course.
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.
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.
This is our rough draft course outline, but we tailor it to each and every student. Every student has their own strengths and weaknesses, and that's the CRAFT advantage over a Part 141 school: we build the week around you, not the syllabus.
Answer a few questions and pass the oral. Fly three approaches and pass the flight portion. Congratulations. You are now an instrument-rated pilot.
Thomas came in for his accelerated IFR and walked out instrument-rated seven days later. Here’s what he had to say.
If you are looking for a solid accelerated flight school, you really need to check this place out. I spent far too long “saving money” while spending way more than I saved because I couldn’t stay proficient. I picked CRAFT and recently went down to CHS and did their accelerated IFR course. 6 full days of ground instruction, simulator and plenty of time in the sky. Matt was my instructor. Very personable, knowledgeable and patient. He helped me work through anything that wasn’t fully clicking either in my head or in the airplane. Their fleet of DA40NG aircraft are all in decent shape. They even managed to keep me and my dedicated instructor in the same tail number the entire time. Your check ride is already scheduled for day 7 so there is no worry about not flying. These guys are so good that they have planes and pilots that can send you a rescue plane to your check ride if something mechanically fails on the plane you have at the time. They are capable of so much more than most schools and from a fleet quality and support perspective, they really do stand out.
The biggest reason "accelerated" stops being accelerated isn't instruction, it's checkrides. At CRAFT, we book the DPE before we book your course. Your check ride is locked on Day 7 from the moment your dates are set.
Tell us your hours, your medical, and your target window. We'll match you with a CFII and a sim-block schedule.