Personal airplane insurance should reflect your aircraft and how you fly it. Review cover for aircraft damage and liability, along with the pilots, uses and places the policy allows.
Give your agent the full picture. Include shared ownership, business travel and any plans to rent or borrow another aircraft.
Describe the owner and planned use
Provide the correct legal owner and explain who operates the airplane. Include a company, partnership or trust when relevant. Identify each pilot and their role.
Describe recreational flights, personal transport and any business-related use. Ask the agent to confirm how the proposed policy treats those activities.
Review aircraft damage cover
Hull insurance covers specified physical damage to the insured aircraft. Check whether the offer includes flight risks, ground risks or a more limited option.
Review the insured value, deductible and settlement terms. Tell the agent about equipment upgrades or other changes in value. Ask how repair and total-loss claims would be handled under the quoted wording.
Review liability limits
Liability insurance can address claims for injury to others or damage to their property. Check who is insured and which activities the policy covers.
Read the total limit and any smaller passenger or per-person limits. Ask how defense costs affect the amount available. Discuss the level of risk you are prepared to retain.
Check pilot and training conditions
Provide current certificates, ratings, hours and training records. Ask about requirements for each person who may fly, including a new pilot or instructor.
If you plan to change aircraft type, discuss the transition before relying on an existing quote. Confirm any training condition and how to show it has been met.
Include storage and travel plans
Identify the base airport and whether the airplane is hangared or tied down. Explain any planned move, extended storage or work at another facility.
Check the territory and permitted uses before a trip outside your usual area. Send changed plans for review and retain any written response.
Review shared and non-owned use
For shared ownership, explain the owners, pilots and agreements. Ask how the policy addresses each person’s or business’s interest.
If you also rent or borrow airplanes, review that activity separately. Check your existing policy and the rental agreement. BWI’s non-owned aircraft insurance page explains the starting point for that discussion.
Compare cost with the terms
Give each insurance contact the same aircraft value, pilot facts, use and start date. Compare premium, limits, deductibles and conditions together.
Choose retained costs you can manage and ask about any unclear exclusion. Use the quote comparison worksheet to keep the offers organized.
Keep the policy current
Review the policy at renewal and when ownership, pilots, use, value or location changes. Keep the issued documents and accepted changes together.
Request a personal aircraft quote or call 800-666-4359. Bring your current policy if you want help reviewing it.
Continue Reading
