Do I need an Instructor Liability Insurance as a FI(R)?

[K. Soze]

I recently finished a FI course in the UK and I am hopefully going to start work soon as a selfemployed instructor. Since I'm selfemployed I think I need an Instructor Liability Insurance (http://www.aopa.co.uk/newsfromaopa/instructor.asp) but is it needed as long as I am a FI(R) or is it only relevant as soon as the restriction is lifted?

K. Soze

[spittingimage]

I am not an insurance expert but I think the best insurance cover is for a 'waiver of subrogation' to be in force for the pilot. This is because most pilots do not own the aircraft they fly and therefore the insurance is principally for the owner of that aircraft. If the hapless pilot has had a mishap and found to have erred in some aspect of the operation eg run out of fuel, medical lapsed yesterday, that kind of thing, then he may very well find that the insurance company will cover the financial damage for the owner of a bent aeroplane and/or occupants and then pursue the pilot for recovery of a similar amount. This is called 'subrogation'. A waiver of subrogation (you need to see the policy document) would generally avoid this unpleasantness. In this regard, I doubt whether or not being an instructor would make a scrap of difference.

I no longer instruct, but when I did instruct I did not have any liability insurance - and by that I mean to fend off financially an unhappy Joe Bloggs alleging, for example, that I did not train him correctly in forced landings, that he had now crashed and was demanding compensation. Basically I kept my fingers crossed and I suppose I got away with it.

However, in this increasingly litigious world, I would not put it past an individual many years into the future to come up with a similar demand for compensation for damages for alleged historical training shortcomings.

I would suggest that you make sure you understand what any 'liability insurance' covers you for and for how long AND what it does not cover. I am not knocking the insurance product to which you provide a link but just make absolutely sure you know what you are getting.

[Whirlybird]

I'm not an insurance expert either. And I'm an FI(R) too, and I AM planning on getting AOPA's liability insurance. From everything I understand, if you're the instructor, and Bloggs decides to sue you because he had an accident and claims you hadn't taught him properly, you could be up **** creek. Seems like money well spent...though I wouldn't mind some advice from anyone who knows more than I do.

[K. Soze]

Whirlybird: I was thinking excactly the same as you. I am going to get some kind of insurance but I was thinking that it might only be needed after the restriction is lifted. I mean as long as you are restricted another instructor has to supervise the flight/lesson - I just don't know if that means he has the overall resposibillity or if thats still with me? Anybody has any view on that I would like to hear it.

[Whirlybird]

K. Soze,
I understand what you're saying, but I suspect it's one of those things that won't be answered till there's a test case...and I don't want that test case to be me!