Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

3 Answers

Aircraft IFR certification

Asked by: 11906 views , , , ,
Aircraft Systems, FAA Regulations, General Aviation, Instrument Rating

What does it take to make an airplane IFR certified?   Besides the required inspections and extra equipment (AAVIATE and GRAB CARD), are there any other additional inspections or requirments to meet to turn an airplane that is certfied for VFR flight only into an airplane certified and legal for IFR flight? 

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

3 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Dec 18, 2013

    It doesn’t depend only on equipment and inspections. There must be no limitation specified for the aircraft which would prohibit operations in instrument conditions.

    For example, I can file an IFR flight plan and accept an IFR clearance in a Bell 206 helicopter if it is equipped per 91.205 and has the inspections specified in 91.411 and 91.413.

    I cannot, however, fly into a cloud. I must remain in VMC.

    -1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 2 Votes



  2. tommytom on Dec 18, 2013

    I assume the limitations you are refering to are found in the aircraft POH? For example: the aircraft is not certified for flight into known icing Or would the limitations also be found somewhere else.

    Thank you Kris for your helpful answers.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. Sam Dawson on Dec 18, 2013

    FAR 23 (or CAR 3 for older airplanes certified IFR) covers certification of airplanes in the normal, utility, aerobatic and commuter categories. For example, Pitot heat is not listed in 91.205, but it IS listed in FAR 23 as a requirement for IFR certification. Under CAR 3 it is not a requirement for IFR certification. However, if the airplane was certified for VFR only under CAR 3 and you want to make it IFR today it MUST comply with the FAR 23 requirement.

    So if an airplane was certified VFR under FAR 23/CAR 3 one must look through FAR 23 and see the items required to put the airplane into IFR certification and apply for field approval or an STC for those items.

    +3 Votes Thumb up 3 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.