Non US Citizens Uninsured
The article is also on Page 34 of the June '07 edition of Pilot.
It states quite plainly that hour builders are not covered and even casts doubt on whether non-US citizens on approved courses are actually covered when flying PIC. At the risk of breaching copyright I will reproduce the article but I'm sure both Pilot and PPRuNe will forgive the minor transgression given its significance.
However, apart from it being quote (more or less) verbatim from Pilot I cannot make any statement regarding its accuracy.
"AOPA is seriously concerned that UK pilots renting aircraft in the US are flying uninsured even if they take out 'renter's insurance' policies provided by many flight schools and Fixed Base Operators.
Renter's insurance policies in America specifically exclude foreign nationals flying solo and all of AOPA UK's efforts down the years to have non-American pilots included on policies have come to nothing. Even AOPA US's own renter's insurance policy will not cover foreigners - their underwirters say that problems associated with dealing wiht foreign nationals make such cover unworkable.
Similarly, no underwriter with Looyd's will back a policy that covers British private pilots flying solo in America. Income from such policies would be small, while the potential liabilities from a single accident could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
AOPA UK Chief Executive Martin Robinson says, "Many British pilots who pay for renter's insurance in the US don' read the small print and they're unaware that they are flying without insurance.
Policies can cover foreigners if they are flying under instruction but not when they are flying solo. It's debatable whether British students engaged in solo flying as part of licence courses are covered, given that their instructor will not be physically present in the aircraft. Pilots under training (my addition: I take this to mean DUAL, i.e. with the instructor) shouldbe covered by the Club's insurance policy but it would be wise to ask to see a copy of this before flying and to read the small print.
Effectively, many a renter in the US will be accepting an open ended liability. Given the propensity of the Americans to resort to the courts in case of accidents and the tendency of US juries to award vast sums in damages a British pilot is accpeting a significant risk of which he or she should be aware before take-off.
FBOs abnd flight schools may be able to say that they sold renter's insurance policies while being unaware that the buyer was aforeign national but every pilot should read the small print and know what it means in practice.
For years AOPA UK has been trying to find a way around this problem but even with the support of AOPA US we have been unable to make progress. We are concerned that one day a British pilot will find out the hard way that a policy he or she has does not in fact provide any cover.
Caveat emptor (Me again: Buyer beware!)."