Carrier X insures a complex aircraft like a DA42 twinstar. Some owner lets some guy get in it with no ME or IR rating and the guy takes off into icing conditions and clouds and stalls the plane and crashes into a bunch of houses. Why should the insurance company cover that?
It is negligence, and insurance does cover negligence. It would be worthless if it didn’t.
There are loads of “IFR” crashes with PPL-only pilots, and the insurance pays out on them – so long as the pilot had a valid license, medical and the plane had a valid CofA etc.
But if the flight was illegal for some other reason before it got off the ground (e.g. was booked via a scheme which is ruled illegal in the relevant country) then they won’t pay out. That’s how it works in the UK and probably other places because the alternative would make insurance worthless.
A lot is made of the need for ’renter’s insurance’ in the US and some FBO’s insist on it. However I’m not sure that in practice it covers much more than the owner’s deductible, or ‘excess’ in UK terms. This may explain why such insurance is available at modest premiums, but in reality if you are renting in the US and can’t afford a $10,000 deductible, then that raises more questions than it answers!
Perhaps Renters Insurance offers protection against 3rd party claims that the FBO’s insurance wouldn’t cover? Or some other benefit? I’d genuinely like to know! But I doubt that for $200 annual premium you are getting much more than $10,000 cover.
USFlyer wrote:
No one should be renting you an aircraft without verifying you have your own insurance and are a licensed pilot with the proper experience in type.
As Jan pointed out above, this is largely country-dependant.
In Germany, I would not know where to go to get “my own insurance” (for what? liability? to fly some anonymous airplane?). I think that insurance product doesn’t even exist on the market here.
The last time I flew a privately owned aircraft, the owner sent a quick email to the insurance company with my name, license copy and number of hours and we were good to go.
For charter companies, I suspect they will pay higher insurance premiums for the CSL insurance to cover all renters than private owners with named pilots only.
Patrick wrote:
Over and above the issue of liability, I found, for example, my accident insurance to cover all my hobbies except flying. I’d need a specific GA acccident insurance to cover that.
Any tips for this additional insurance?
There’s only one Belgian company offering aviation-related insurance, Aviabel. I think they will not negociate with end customers, only through a broker (“makelaar”).
You could fly the short trip to EBAW and go have a chat at Finserv (first floor of the main building) – they know the market.
But, frankly, have you asked your fellow-aviators at the club? Or your instructor?
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
But, frankly, have you asked your fellow-aviators at the club? Or your instructor?
Or read the insurance policy. There should be a copy with the aircraft papers.
Airborne_Again wrote:
There should be a copy with the aircraft papers.
Hm. Not in mine, nor in any I have seen the papers of. Actually, we have weight and balance limitations enough without adding a ream of paper
Good enough to make sure to carry the “proof of insurance” (called a “green card” in automotive insurance and, for me, printed on the same paper and template).
As Jan_O said, I’d have a word with someone from Aviabel or FinServe.
I see you’re based in EBGB. Are you a member of the Sabena or Grimbergen flying club?
If you look in most aircraft documents you will usually find a Certificate of Insurance, a one page document. The actual POLICY is so large it comes on a CD now. To read it properly and make a meaningful judgement you need to be a specialist or lawyer.
I have never read our policy all the way through. Life is too short. I just go flying.