wrote in message
...

On 11-Jul-2003, "Dave Stadt" wrote:

To return the cost if an instrument rating in 3 years the insurance
company
would have to pay me about $1,000 a year. Not going to happen.


Well, I do know that when my partners got their IR (both in the same year)
the tab for insurance the following year went down by about $800. And
this
was a few years ago, before the current craziness in the insurance biz.

The cost of getting the rating IN ONE'S OWN AIRPLANE may be a bit more
than
$2400, but not that much more. I figure on around 45 hours of training,
of
which 35 involves the use of a paid instructor. (The other 10 being
practice with a licensed safety pilot who is not being paid).

45 hours @ $40/hr marginal cost for airplane* = $1800
35 hours @ $40/hr for instructor = 1400

TOTAL = $3200

*Marginal cost is the cost for "additional" hours of use, and thus does
not
include any fixed expenses. Basically, it's the hourly cost of fuel and
oil, plus reserve for overhaul. $40 is what I figure is about right for a
C-172 or similar airplane.

This suggests that a few years ago the payback in reduced insurance
premiums
was around 4 years. In the current insurance situation, it is therefore
quite believable that payback could be quicker.

It also suggests that if you are not instrument rated you might ask your
broker how much you could save if you were. (Note that significant
savings
will often require changing insurance carriers.) That just might provide
the impetus for you to finally get to work on your instrument ticket.

You make a few wrong assumptions. First, not all planes are capable of
being instrument trainers. I myself would not want an IFR capable airplane.
Second, you mention some craziness and insurance situation alluding to
increasing premiums. My premiums have not gone up in years. For my
airplane and the flying I do an instrument rating would be less than
useless. I don't believe an instrument rating is guaranteed to lower
premiums no matter how many times you change carriers.