Sport Pilot Talk

Just as well throw this out there. If anyone in, or around the Oklahoma City area is in need of a Sport CFI, I'm available.

I'm not in this just for the hours/time, I don't need it. I'm 62 years old, had my PPL since 1977. I'm NOT going to the airlines as soon as I hit a "magic number". I'm doing it strictly out of the passion for aviation. I want this to be a fun retirement gig.

Good for you! We need more instructors who are in it for the love of GA flying and will be around to provide "continuing education" to the pilots they "raise"... Too many of the time-builders headed for the airlines have no real clue about flying light aircraft - they are too busy training themselves (and their students) to fly an Airbus or Boeing...

My current CFI is a great guy - around 78-79 years old - and is a really good stick, in addition to being one of those "laid back" instructors who you just enjoy flying with. I'm worried on his behalf that the insurance companies seem to be to pricing him out of the market. His CFI rates are getting ridiculous, from what he's telling me. I tried to add him as an additional insured pilot on the Citabria 7ECA I used to own, and none of the insurers would quote him. They were fine with him as the CFI for my tailwheel endorsement, through. Go figure!

So if/when he has to hang it up, I may be flying up to OKC for BFRs! LOL

Yes, insurance is definitely a stumbling block for instructors (especially as we age). It is my single largest operating expense (this year, I paid $10,000 in premiums for my two planes). If I find I have to take down my shingle, it will be because of insurance costs.

My personal assumption is that the insurance industry is trying to make up with GA premiums all the money they lost from the two 73 Max accidents!

drseti wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 2:26 pm My personal assumption is that the insurance industry is trying to make up with GA premiums all the money they lost from the two 73 Max accidents!

That, and there has been some significant storm damage losses in the past few years.

I checked on insurance last week. Just for CFI insurance, liability as an instructor only, was about $300.00. If I remember correctly, that also included $25,000.00 "renters insurance". None of my airplanes will be rentals.

malexander wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 7:01 pm I checked on insurance last week. Just for CFI insurance, liability as an instructor only, was about $300.00. If I remember correctly, that also included $25,000.00 "renters insurance". None of my airplanes will be rentals.

Don't think of it as renters insurance, but rather non owned insurance. You will have that coverage whenever you are flying anyones airplane.

3Dreaming wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 8:45 pm

malexander wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 7:01 pm I checked on insurance last week. Just for CFI insurance, liability as an instructor only, was about $300.00. If I remember correctly, that also included $25,000.00 "renters insurance". None of my airplanes will be rentals.

Don't think of it as renters insurance, but rather non owned insurance. You will have that coverage whenever you are flying anyones airplane.

Yeah I thought of that after I posted. Thanks for the clarification. The "non-owner" phraseology escaped me the first time around, lol.

For a while, I rented from a local outfit that had anywhere between 3-5 Sport Cruisers available (with a complete checkout from their CFIs - insurance requirement). Their insurance required that all renters have "non-owned" insurance policies. At first, the recommended amount of coverage was $25K. But then one of the renters managed to taxi into a hangar door, and the repair cost went WAY beyond the $25K covered by the policy...

That got me thinking about what the policy limits should really be, and even though I had no plans to taxi into anyone's hangar, I decided to increase my personal coverage to $50K. IIRC, it wasn't all that much more for the bigger policy, and it sure gave me more peace of mind. About the same time, I talked to my auto insurance company and increased the liability portion of my car policies as well. The auto policy in particular was an amazingly small increase in premiums.

I'm now covered if I (or my wife) happens to be involved in a fender-bender with a Ferrari or Porsche... Or –– far more likely where I live –– a horse trailer with someone's prized rodeo-winning barrel racer. (And they are ALL "prize winning" horses - at least after the accident...)

I soloed my first student this morning. She did GREAT.

Of course she did - she has a great instructor!

drseti wrote: ↑Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:10 pm Of course she did - she has a great instructor!

Thanks Paul.

My first student unsupervised solo.
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