Adding an Instrument Rating to Commercial

[01CelicaGTS]

Alright, here's the deal. I'm in Flight School at Fort Rucker right now, and I already hold a Commercial Rotorcraft Helicopter rating. I do NOT have an instrument rating. Most of my classmates are going to take a military competency exam this weekend so that when they graduate they can just submit that to get their commercial and instrument ratings. After reading FAR 61.73 I was pretty sure that I do not need to take a competency exam or the FAA instrument written to get an instrument rating added to my commercial ticket. 61.53(d) states:

 

(d) Instrument rating. A person who is qualified as a U.S. military pilot or former military pilot may apply for an instrument rating to be added to a pilot certificate if that person—

(1) Has passed an instrument proficiency check in the U.S. Armed Forces in the aircraft category for the instrument rating sought; and

(2) Has an official U.S. Armed Forces record that shows the person is instrument pilot qualified by the U.S. Armed Forces to conduct instrument flying on Federal airways in that aircraft category and class for the instrument rating sought.

 

Unless I'm missing something from another subsection that also applies to this, I think I'm right. However, I haven't been able to get a hold of the instrument examiner at the local FSDO, and when I called the testing center that does all of the military competency exams (in Ozark), the guy told me that I need to either take the comp exam, or take the actual FAA instrument written exam. I don't know exactly where he is getting his information, and I'm not too sure he's not just trying to make a little more money.

 

So, has anyone done this before? Any help is appreciated. Still waiting to hear back from the FSDO.

 

Thanks!

[Bootcamp]

Looking at the regs more closely, I believe you are correct.

 

61.73(d) Instrument Rating is separate from 61.73( b )(2) Military Competency Exam.

 

I posed this question a few months ago with regards to whether or not I needed to take the comp exam to add the S-70 type rating after graduation to my existing certificate. The general consensus was that I wouldn't need to take the comp exam.

 

http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/18008-military-competency-for-type-rating-only/

 

That being said, I know that different FSDOs interpret the regs differently. If one FSDO turns you down, there wouldn't be any harm in going to another.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Bootcamp