How much does an instrument rating cost in Long Beach?

At Aces High Aviation a realistic instrument rating budget starts around $15,750, flying pay-as-you-go with no packages or contracts. Using our Redbird MCX simulator at $90/hr for up to 20 of the required hours brings the cost down substantially compared with doing every hour in the aircraft.

Will I fly in actual clouds during training at Long Beach?

Very likely, yes. Long Beach sits under the Southern California marine layer, and during May through July especially, students routinely log actual instrument time in real IMC rather than only flying under the hood. It is one of the best natural IFR training environments in the country.

Can I use a simulator for my instrument rating?

Yes. Our Redbird MCX advanced aviation training device counts for up to 20 hours toward the instrument rating at $90/hr, and it pauses, repositions, and repeats approaches in a way an aircraft cannot. Most students blend sim and aircraft time.

Instrument Rating · KLGB · From $15,750

Fly the clouds,
not around them.

Instrument training at Long Beach Airport, where the marine layer
hands you real IMC most schools can only simulate.

The instrument rating is where you become a genuinely capable pilot. At Aces High you train one-on-one with a CFII, blend aircraft time with our Redbird MCX simulator to keep the cost sensible, and log actual instrument time in the Southern California marine layer instead of spending your whole rating under a hood.

40hrs

Instrument time required

20hrs

Loggable in the Redbird sim

$90

Redbird MCX per hour

May–Jul

Marine layer = actual IMC

01 /

Why Long Beach for IFR

Real weather · real airspace · real radios

Plenty of places teach you to pass the instrument checkride. Long Beach teaches you to actually fly IFR.

EDGE · 01

IMC.

The Marine Layer

From late spring into summer the coastal stratus rolls in on schedule. That means logging actual instrument time in real clouds, not just simulated hood work.

EDGE · 02

LAX Class B Airspace

You train inside one of the busiest airspace structures in the world. Clearances, amendments, and vectors become second nature because you fly them every lesson.

EDGE · 03

Sim

Redbird MCX

Up to 20 of your 40 instrument hours in an advanced training device at $90/hr. Pause, reposition, and refly an approach five times in the time an aircraft flies it once.

EDGE · 04

1:1

Your CFII, Your Pace

Pay-as-you-go, no packages, no contracts. Train two evenings a week or fly an accelerated schedule; the syllabus flexes around your life.

02 /

Requirements & Cost

FAA minimums · honest numbers

What the FAA requires

A Private Pilot certificate, 50 hours of cross-country time as pilot in command, and 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, including at least 15 hours with a CFII. Plus the instrument written exam and the checkride.

What it really costs

A realistic budget starts around $15,750, and we publish the full math in our 2026 cost guide. Using the Redbird for up to 20 hours at $90/hr instead of aircraft time is the single biggest saving; the full breakdown lives on the accelerated instrument sim package page.

How long it takes

Flying two to three lessons a week, most students finish in four to six months. An accelerated sim-heavy schedule can compress that considerably; ask about availability when you call.

Aircraft and equipment

Train in our Cessna 152s and 172s from $140/hr wet, with the Redbird MCX available in both analog and G1000 configurations to match the panel you fly. See the whole fleet.

Working toward a career? The instrument rating is step two on the path to the airlines, and instrument sim time also counts toward the commercial certificate. Still pre-PPL? Start with the Private Pilot License page or book a discovery flight.

File it

Ready to fly
in the system?

Call and we will map your instrument training around your schedule, your budget, and the marine layer calendar. Straight answers, no sales pitch.

Call (562) 726-3719 → Instrument Sim Package → Send a message instead →

Doc. AHA · IFR · Rev. 26.07 · KLGB · MMX

Fly the clouds,not around them.

Why Long Beach for IFR

Requirements & Cost

Ready to flyin the system?

Fly the clouds,
not around them.

Ready to fly
in the system?