Step 1: Hold a current Private Pilot certificate.
Step 2: Find a Flight School (preferably the same one you got your Private Pilot rating from).
Step 3: Take the Written Exam before you begin flying (use Sheppard Air for study for the same reasons as stated on the Private Pilot page).
Step 4: (This is an optional step but highly recommended!! It will save you time training in an actual plane, which costs $) Download X-Plane on a Windows Computer. Begin with the free demo to see if your computer can handle running the software. If it is suitable, use it to supplement ALL flight training for the instrument training. See this YouTube video as an example of an Instrument Training flight done by one of our students. We cannot stress the power of X-Plane enough when going for an instrument rating.
Step 5: Begin flight training at the flight school. After a few lessons, find a Safety Pilot (another Private Pilot, preferably another Instrument or Commercial Pilot student) who can split the cost of plane rental. Understand the Minimum Requirements to take the checkride and hold yourself to those minimums. It can be done! Flying frequently is the best way to do it. The longer the time you have between flights the more you will forget.
Step 6: Take checkride with a Designated Pilot Examiner (almost always provided by the flight school, but you can find your own if needed). Prepare for the checkride here.
