Recent Updates

Richard Johnson of Winter Haven, Florida, isn’t your average flight instructor. For one thing, he is well past his early twenties, which the silvery gray hair poking out from under his baseball cap attests to. He has no particular interest in building hours to take him to the next rung of the professional pilot ladder, […]

Think you’ve got everything you need for that Caribbean trip? Looked up that insurance policy, just to make sure? Be careful — your insurer’s definition of “the Caribbean” may not include the particular island to which you’re flying. Tom Chappel of CS&A Aviation Insurance discusses the variety of ways insurers define their coverage area. In […]

Click any image to view a larger version. (All images open in new windows.) Elegant, the Cessna 195 is just flat out elegant. The Panel isn’t exactly original, but it is straightforward and well equipped. From Georgia to Florida and back again, this patriotic RV waves the flag where ever it goes. While not available […]

While the majority of the country was settling in for a long struggle with the slush and snow of early winter, the gates to Sun n Fun’s Lakeland, Fla., facility were thrown open for a new special event. The pre-Super Bowl weekend of January 25th and 26th saw an RV Fly-In take place that may […]

“Forgive me, oh spirit of Tony Bengilis, for I have been slothful. I have found excuses not to work on my airplane, and I have allowed myself to become distracted with other projects and with self-doubt. Please help me get off the dime and get back to work, like I know I should.” This should […]

Part I“Broker-Of-Record Letter” What is it?..Who Requires it?…Should you sign one? Aviation Insurance can be purchased in two ways: (1) from a “direct writing”company where the insured contacts the company direct; or (2) through an independentinsurance agent who represents several companies. Occasionally, an insurance buyer is asked by an independent insurance agent to sign a”BROKER-OF-RECORD […]

It’s very frustrating when your aircraftis damaged at the hands of some other negligent party. Unknown to many pilots, however, are details of the relationship and responsibilities of your aviation insurance policy versus those of the negligent party who damages your aircraft. By looking at some imaginary claims and describing some of the difficulties that […]

Untilthe September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, war risk insurancewas the most understated and misunderstood insurance coverage written for theaviation industry. Some insurance underwriters did not offer this coverage whileothers included it as an endorsement to the general aviation policy at little orno additional premium. You must admit this is inconsistent, but what […]

Reading an insurance policy is not a favorite pastime for mostpeople. As a result, most policyholders don’t read their policies until after the loss.During our 25 years in the aviation insurance business, I have seen many situations inwhich the policyholder thinks coverage is included only to find out after the loss thatnone exists. Although coverage […]

Aviation insurance policies are not “standardized”. Each company develops and submits its own wording to each state. All policy forms must be approved by each state insurance department for states where the company plans to write insurance. State insurance departments are very consumer conscious and are very receptive if a company requests broader policy forms. […]