Overview
The Piper Pa-12 Super Cruiser is a three-seat, single-engine tailwheel aircraft built for bush flying. The Super Cruiser was designed as an upgraded J-3 Cub and like the J3 is an excellent off-airport, bush aircraft. The PA-12 was introduced in 1946 and over 3,700 Super Cruisers have been produced making it one of the most popular tailwheel aircraft ever built.
Piper Pa-12’s can be also equipped with floats or skis, larger bush tires, and are typically significantly altered with modifications and upgrades throughout the years. The Super Cruiser can also be equipped for crop spraying and is flown solo with the pilot in the front seat and two passengers in the rear.
Piper PA-12 Insurance cost averages $719 for $40,000 in hull coverage for a qualified pilot and as low as $500 a year for liability only coverage. For under qualified and student pilots, the average insurance cost for $40,000 in hull coverage is $1,100 and liability only is $500-$650
Piper PA-12 insurance is highly competitive and is going to depend largely on a few main factors. #1 Pilot experience, #2 Hull value #3 aircraft location, Alaska VS Lower 48.
Most of the major aviation insurance markets will offer to quote Insurance on Piper PA-12’s. There are a few markets however, which have which have experienced a major Piper PA-12 loss and will not offer quotes under any circumstance.
Aviation insurance in general, is a very specialized industry and premiums vary depending on make and model of the aircraft, hull value, use of the aircraft, pilot history and qualifications and aircraft insurance rates even take into account the loss history of each specific make and model and the loss history of the industry as a whole.
Piper PA-12 insurance, like all airplane insurance, is broken down into 2 specific coverages. The first is Liability Coverage, which is standard on every aircraft insurance policy and the second is optional hull coverage, which covers damage to the aircraft itself.
Piper PA-12 aviation liability insurance covers damage caused by the aircraft, outside of the aircraft, specifically property damage, bodily injury, and provides money for legal defense in the event that the aircraft owner is sued. Aircraft liability insurance is typically offered for Super Cruisers, at $1,000,000 per occurrence (per incident) and includes coverage for passengers but limits that amount to $100,000 per passenger, which is included within the total liability of $1,000,000.
A real-world example of how this aviation liability coverage would protect you: If while flying your PA-12 and damaged property or caused bodily injury outside of the aircraft, you would have the full $1,000,000 in coverage to pay for damages that occurred. If an accident occurred and you had passengers inside the aircraft that were injured, your insurance policy would pay up to $100,000 for each passenger. The Super Cruiser typically holds 2 passenger, so up to $200,000 of your total $1,000,000 insurance policy could be used to pay for passenger liabilities, leaving you with $800,000 for other damage outside of the aircraft or legal defense.
This liability coverage also applies as a bubble that follows the aircraft around. If the aircraft is hangered, liability coverage extends throughout your hangar and it is this coverage that airports will typically require you to have. It’s not a separate insurance policy, its actually coverage built into your standards airplane insurance policy.
Other liability options: Some companies may offer lower liability at $250,000 but the cost savings typically doesn’t make this a viable choice. Higher liability coverage on the PA-12 is typically not available.
The second coverage in a Piper PA-12 insurance policy is hull coverage and is an optional coverage. Aircraft hull insurance covers damage to the aircraft itself and is an agreed value, not subject to depreciation. Agreed value is decided during the initial insurance quoting process, the aircraft owner requests an insurance quote for his or her PA-12 and requests a quote including hull coverage in the amount of $40,000. Once an aviation insurance company provides a quote, they are agreeing with you that your aircraft is worth $40,000.
*Insurance companies may place additional stipulations on quotes to prove the value of your aircraft prior to binding, if your agreed value is higher than bluebook.
Most aviation insurance companies do not offer deductibles higher than $0 deductibles, which means in the event of a total loss, if your aircraft was insured for $40,000, you would get a straight check from the insurance company for $40,000.
Piper PA-12 Insurance Cost Breakdown:
As of February, 2020, there are 10 carriers quoting Piper PA-12 insurance in the U.S. We consider qualified pilots to have at least a private license, with 500 total hours, 100 tailwheel hours and at least 25 hours in the make/model.
For an annual policy with $1,000,000 in liability only coverage.
Premium range for qualified pilots: $500-$650 per year.
Premium range for less than qualified pilots (non-IFR and less than 25 make/model): $900-$1,142 per year.
For an annual policy with $1,000,000 in liability coverage and $40,000 in hull coverage
Premium range for qualified pilots: $719-$980 per year
Premium range for less than qualified pilots (non-IFR and less than 25 make/model) $1,100-$1,340 per year.
For more information or to get an actual Piper PA-12 insurance quote, please fill out a quote request online or call us at 800.666.4359
-The BWI Team
