tomahawk
Sorry, I don't know the answers, but if you are hiring from any new school, club, group or owner, I would suggest that you ask what the insurance cover (if any), is for all the following:-
- the hull value of the aircraft, & what is the excess?
- can you pay extra to avoid the excess?
- is there any third party cover, (in case you taxi into another A/c etc)?
- are you insured as the pilot, for any injury that you suffer?
- are your passengers insured?
- does the insurance cover legal fees, etc, arising from a claim?
Please bear in mind, that the aircraft owner/operator is not legally required to insure against ANY of the above, & good insurance cover is now more expensive since Sept 11th.
If an aircaft had no insurance, & was damaged by your negligence, you might be liable to pay the owner for all the damage. Claims from third parties can be for unlimited amounts (say you taxied a C152 into a Boeing 747, full of passengers), & again you might be liable. And, of course, you could be liable to your passengers.
So, it is best to ask the questions, & then decide if you are comfortable with the existing cover, or would prefer to take out your own policy.