Insurance

[bottieburp]

Wierd isn't it that no car insurance can earn you some porridge yet you don't have to have 3rd party insurance for an aircraft.

Hull insurance is a different matter - bust your toy and thats tough.

I wonder how many airfield operators would refuse a landing if they knew that the aircraft was uninsured for 3rd party risks?

I wonder if there is a case for airfield owners to state in their pooleys entry whether or not they are happy to accept uninsured visitors? I bet not a single one will state 'uninsured pilots welcome'.

You lawyers out there - would i be right in thinking that the lawyers of a person killed through the fault of a pilot would sue his estate if there was no insurance company involved?

I have come across an 'it won't happen to me' mentality many times in aviation. Well, I for one accept that I am more than capable of screwing up.

If I go through the fence of my farm strip and hit as school bus, my family won't suffer the additional grief of batting off lawyers.

Are there any insurers out there that would like to add their bit?

[FlyingForFun]

bottie,

Many airfields do insist on 3rd party insurance, and it usually is mentioned in Pooleys - just take a look! As for how they enforce that rule, well, I have no idea...

As for why it's not compulsary, I'd guess that's because car accidents involving 3rd parties are quite common, whereas the vast majority of aircraft accidents don't involve 3rd parties - landing accidents are usually confined to the runway, and I believe they're the most common type of accident. I'm not saying that justifies the law, but it may be the reason?

Personally, I wouldn't want to invest the kind of money that an aircraft costs without insuring it.

FFF
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[LowNSlow]

As a slight aside, when you do get 3rd party insurance, it's worth checking if it covers the zillions that the RAF/RN/Army want you to have, in case you bump into something expensive in green or grey at one of their establishments. Mine does at a slight charge to cover up to 10 landings a year at military airfields.

Some PFA'ers only carry minimum hull insurance on the basis that they will provide the labour to repair the damage cos they built the thing in the first place. Some owners don't carry hull cover at all which I think is daft as I was really glad of the insurance on my Aerobat when it was blown over in a gale and wrecked. It paid for my Cub :D

Not carrying 3rd Party insurance these days is daft unless you are callous enough not to care about the extra grief your family will be put through if the worst happens.