Member Products
Who is liable for your CFI?
It is not unusual for an aircraft owner to ask AOPA Insurance Agency to add a CFI to their policy when instruction is taking place in the owner’s aircraft. Simply adding the name of the flight instructor to the aircraft owner’s policy provides no coverage for the instructor. None. What’s wiser is for a CFI to also secure his or her own liability coverage from AOPA Insurance Agency, and today coverage is more affordable than ever.
A CFI comprehensive policy covers professional use as well as when flying rented or borrowed aircraft for personal (non-commercial) use. The expanded coverage for CFI professional liability is included within the CFI policy premium.
An “a la carte” menu for flight instructors keeps coverage as low as $191 a year for an AOPA member, providing $250,000 liability and $25,000 for passenger coverage. That’s the minimum, and CFIs can build from there.
Applying for coverage is easy as well – the entire transaction can be done by phone and billed to a credit card. If you’re a CFI and haven’t shopped insurance lately, now is a good time since premiums have gone down somewhat. AOPA Insurance Agency provides a discount for members at renewal: if you haven’t had any accidents in the previous year, you can take a 10% discount. Always ask if there are any discounts for which you qualify.
AOPA Insurance Agency also reminds flight instructors to not assume your flight school is covering you. If you are a full-time employee, you may be covered, but freelance flight instructors definitely need their own coverage.
To get an idea of coverage and rates, visit the website at www.aopaia.com and check out the sample rates. Take a look at the application since there is a lot of information in it that will guide you to the best coverage for your particular situation.
July 6, 2010
