DID YOU KNOW older pilots need to take extra precautions when comes to insurance?

Welcome to 2019!!! It?s a new year and we?re all going to be turning another year older. Did you know that some insurance companies will deny starting coverage for you once you reach a certain age no matter what your health condition is? It?s true, before you turn 75 years old, make sure you are with a solid company. A company that won?t reduce coverage, require an annual medical, or require you to fly ?dual only? just because you had another birthday. There are several good companies for senior pilots, so if you are 75 years or older, check with your agent to make sure you won?t have any surprises come your next renewal. Age is just a number. You can still fly insured well into your 80?s as long as you plan ahead.

We wish you all a happy new year and safe flying!!!

Hopefully your company is not one that does that, as I will be in that boat before I know it.








Frank Huber
RV-7A completely done
2019 dues paid

I found out quick and painfully, when my 80th birthday came - so did a triple cost of the policy! I felt as competent to fly as I was the day BEFORE I turned 80, but made no difference.

Fhuber said:

Hopefully your company is not one that does that, as I will be in that boat before I know it.

Frank Huber
RV-7A completely done
2019 dues paid

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Hi Frank, no worries here. We are a broker so we have the ability to shop all of our markets. We're trained to search for the best premium but also for the best company to fit your situation. When it comes time to renew, it still doesn't hurt to bring this up as one of your concerns.

Frank: sent you a PM.
Congrats on finishing the -7!


Doug
Seattle area

LRingeisen said:

Welcome to 2019!!! It?s a new year and we?re all going to be turning another year older. Did you know that some insurance companies will deny starting coverage for you once you reach a certain age no matter what your health condition is? It?s true, before you turn 75 years old, make sure you are with a solid company. A company that won?t reduce coverage, require an annual medical, or require you to fly ?dual only? just because you had another birthday. There are several good companies for senior pilots, so if you are 75 years or older, check with your agent to make sure you won?t have any surprises come your next renewal. Age is just a number. You can still fly insured well into your 80?s as long as you plan ahead.

We wish you all a happy new year and safe flying!!!

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Hi Leah, Do you mind if I ask how old you are? I'm 76. When I read this, I called my broker who is Falcon out in Kerrville, Texas, and they use Global Aerospace. He said, "don't worry". But then he added, things might change a lot when I'm in my 80ties. NOW, I'm worried.

donaziza said:

Hi Leah, Do you mind if I ask how old you are? I'm 76. When I read this, I called my broker who is Falcon out in Kerrville, Texas, and they use Global Aerospace. He said, "don't worry". But then he added, things might change a lot when I'm in my 80ties. NOW, I'm worried.

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Hi Don! Ladies don't love to broadcast their age on the internet but I'd be happy to share that information with you over the phone. I'd love the chance to walk you through the different scenarios of what happens with various insurance companies at certain ages. There is no obligation to switch brokers I just want to be able to discuss information specific to you that you may find valuable.

Up here north of the border, I heard from a friend who was into his ninth decade that he had been denied full coverage when he tried to obtain same.

Concerned, as I was fast approaching the same sign post, I contacted my insurance provider (COPA) and shared my concerns.

The COPA contact researched the situation and explained that I would have no problem as there has been no break in coverage even though I have only been insured for less than five years. The key appears to be having unbroken coverage prior to turning eighty: if your coverage has lapsed during the period you completed four score years or if you've never had coverage prior to doing so, you may (probably will) have trouble getting same.


My friend noted above had encountered a medical situation from which he thought would preclude future flying. Based on that, he sold his aircraft. Then, of course, his physical conditioning resulted in a faster recovery and he purchase another aircraft a couple of years after the event. It was then that he found that he could no longer get full coverage.

Now, although I was assured that there would be no problem with me getting full coverage, the cost was not discussed. We're going to find out about THAT little item in a couple of months. (I renew in April...)

Leah, would you or Shanna shed some light on this subject (and I don't care how old you are either)? Obviously from this thread there are lots of opinions, and at 81 many of my flying friends are at or near that stage as well.

My "old man" Dad

I had my Dad as a named pilot on my RV. On renewal one year the premium jumped up significantly. I called and they said it was due to his age (75 at the time I think.) so I ended up removing him off the policy. The funny thing is he is a professional pilot ATP, CFI, tons of tailwheel, and taught me how to fly the plane. He was more qualified than I was and he had a 1st class medical. Go figure.

DonFromTX said:

Leah, would you or Shanna shed some light on this subject (and I don't care how old you are either)? Obviously from this thread there are lots of opinions, and at 81 many of my flying friends are at or near that stage as well.

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Haha! You guys are great. I'm 21+ and aging everyday There was a misunderstanding with the original question of my age as I was thought to be a pilot and not a broker. No harm, no foul and we had a pretty good laugh about it.

The best suggestion we can give is to discuss your concerns with your broker. Its hard to make a general statement about the companies because they each have different regulations that they go by. If you have specific questions that you would like to discuss, feel free to call us and we would be happy to give you some input.

Is age any problem with liability only insurance? I’m 72 with over 30 yrs flying without an accident or claim and use liability only insurance.

wilddog said:

Is age any problem with liability only insurance? I?m 72 with over 30 yrs flying without an accident or claim and use liability only insurance.

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A lot of the insurance companies go by the same requirements for liability only policies as they do for full flight. Most companies start declining coverage due to age when the pilot is 75 or older.

A friend of mine just got his new premium for his Cessna 210.. A retired airline captain, good health, no claims, current... $10,000!!!! For no other reason then he's a year older. When they pull that on me I'll just get liability or nothing.

LRingeisen said:

A lot of the insurance companies go by the same requirements for liability only policies as they do for full flight. Most companies start declining coverage due to age when the pilot is 75 or older.

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I'm currently with Global - have been for many years. I heard that Global typically enforces more age-related restrictions after 75 than AIG. Is that the case?

gossend said:

I'm currently with Global - have been for many years. I heard that Global typically enforces more age-related restrictions after 75 than AIG. Is that the case?

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It becomes more difficult to acquire a new insurance policy after the age of 75 (70 for some companies). As far as additional requirements go, I believe the age is after 84 when they start enforcing them, but I would have your broker double check to be sure. Underwriting guidelines have been changing with all of the companies lately, so it's best to check with the broker to make sure there are no surprises in your specific situation.