Sport Pilot Talk

My previous two airplanes were insured by Avemco. I just bought an E-LSA Sky Ranger, and Avemco says they don’t provide hull insurance for experimentals. Huh? They fully insured my last experimental. And when I told them that, they said “Oh, that kind of experimental was OK. This one isn’t.” What gives?

Anyway, looking for another insurance company.

My agent is,
Victoria Neuville
Commercial Pilot, CFI
Aviation Insurance Resources (AIR)
P.O. BOX 32 | Frederick, MD 21705
Phone 301-682-6200 | Fax 301-682-9793

Thanks for that! I’ll give her a call.

What happened at Avemco is that my friend Mike Adams, who used to be their VP of underwriting, retired. He was the guy who embraced and supported LSA; apparently, his replacements do not so much. I currently use Falcon, the EAA insurance agency - they represent several underwriters who are Experimental-friendly.

For discussion and links about insurance, see this page on my website:

https://avsport.org/acft/insure.htm

Thanks, Paul. Always a wealth of useful knowledge!

drseti wrote: ↑Sat Apr 23, 2022 6:44 am What happened at Avemco is that my friend Mike Adams, who used to be their VP of underwriting, retired. He was the guy who embraced and supported LSA; apparently, his replacements do not so much. I currently use Falcon, the EAA insurance agency - they represent several underwriters who are Experimental-friendly.

For discussion and links about insurance, see this page on my website:

https://avsport.org/acft/insure.htm

So I joined the EAA to have access to their insurance. Turned out to be the most expensive by far. $4-6k annual premium for a $30k airplane!

In fact, all fully comprehensive insurance is prohibitively expensive. I’ll have to go liability only.

Hambone wrote: ↑Thu Apr 28, 2022 5:16 pm

drseti wrote: ↑Sat Apr 23, 2022 6:44 am What happened at Avemco is that my friend Mike Adams, who used to be their VP of underwriting, retired. He was the guy who embraced and supported LSA; apparently, his replacements do not so much. I currently use Falcon, the EAA insurance agency - they represent several underwriters who are Experimental-friendly.

For discussion and links about insurance, see this page on my website:

https://avsport.org/acft/insure.htm

So I joined the EAA to have access to their insurance. Turned out to be the most expensive by far. $4-6k annual premium for a $30k airplane!

In fact, all fully comprehensive insurance is prohibitively expensive. I’ll have to go liability only.

Much more expensive than AIR?

Hambone wrote: ↑Thu Apr 28, 2022 5:16 pm $4-6k annual premium for a $30k airplane!

In fact, all fully comprehensive insurance is prohibitively expensive. I’ll have to go liability only.

The hull value has absolutely no bearing on the premium charged for liability insurance. A $30k airplane can inflict just as much damage on the property of others as a $3M one.

It is odd to me that a Sky Ranger would be that expensive... I have a RANS S-6ES E-LSA with an insured value of $45,000 and I'm paying $1,045 for $1,000,000 liability / $100,000 per passenger (no sub-limit for non-passengers) with zero deductibles. The physical damage portion is $812 and the liability portion is $233.

I purchased the policy through Raynor Strombeck at Aviator's Insurance Agency in Van Nuys, CA. If you want to give them a call, their number is 818-780-6112. They do shop the policy every year, but Old Republic has been consistently lowest cost for the RANS, as well as for the Citabria I owned prior to the RANS. My rate went up only $38 this year, contrasted with many of my buddies who've seen 1.5X to 2X premiums this year over last.

For reference, I've been with Old Republic now for about 5 years, which helps with rates... I'm 66 years old, have 2000-hours, and hold Commercial/Instrument Helicopter and Commercial (no Instrument) ASEL certificates. I have never had a claim, nor an FAA violation of any kind. PPL vs CPL, Instrument vs non-instrument, different number of total time flown, and history of either claims or violations could result in significant rate differences.

As an aside on insurance, I know that some companies have regional underwriters. This can create a situation where the same airplane quoted from different regions can have a significant difference in price. Just something to consider.

Thanks to everyone. I’ll do some more research.