And you thought your flight insurance was high...
Owen grounded
Sunday Mirror 8/27
Michael Owen has been banned from flying his £2 million helicopter.
Newcastle United bosses have told the England ace he can't take the controls - because they are not prepared to pay vastly increased insurance premiums to cover his loss to the team if he crashes.
Owen spent thousands on flying lessons after buying the eight-seater, twin-engine Eurocopter Dauphin in October.
A source close to the player, 26, said last night: "Michael is really annoyed and frustrated. He has spent all that money on a helicopter and lessons - and now he has found out he can't fly because of the huge insurance fees.
"He enjoys flying just for the sake of it, but being a pilot would also have cut his travelling time, meaning he could see more of his wife and family. Now that hope is pretty much in tatters."
Owen - who suffered a potentially career-ending injury during the World Cup - initially planned to hire a pilot to fly him on the 190-mile trip to Newcastle from his home at Northop, North Wales. Then he decided getting his own licence would give him more freedom. He also hoped to build a £20,000 helipad in his three-acre garden.
I/C