SonexBuilders.net

I'm will be getting ready to move to the Airport this summer for the first flight and need to start looking into insurance. Anybody willing to recomend who to go to for insurance on a taildragger Sonex for someone with fairly low time? I'm working on my taildragger endoresement now and am planning on doing 5 hours of transition training out at the factory but don't know what the minimum requirments to get insurance are or who to even ask.

Keith
#554

I used EAA insurance from Falcoln and am pleased with them so far. Five hours of T-flight should meet their minimums.

Keith,
The process of shopping for aircraft insurance held some surprises for me. I'm a "shop around online and call around" DIY kind of person, and that works well for other insurance. But by doing that for aircraft insurance I inadvertently screwed things up. It turns out that there are only a imited number of companies that write policies for experimental aircraft, and once a particular company has been contacted about a particular client (either contacted by you or by an agent) then that company will not provide any additional quotes for a specific period of time. Because I contacted AOPA, USAA, Avemco, and an online independent agent directly, I had accumulated a few outright denials (they would write the policy only with a ton of provisions) and a few high quotes. Mike Farley recommended a very good local agent and she was able to get me a better policy at a better price by presenting my situation to the insurance companies in the most favorable (honest) way. The number of companies she had to work with was reduced because I'd already contacted some (maybe she could have gotten a better deal). So, >>unlike<< the situation with many other types of insurance, working through an independent agent did not cost me extra, it saved me money.
You might ask your local EAA associates where they got their insurance. I'm in Ohio and would be happy to share the name of the agent I used if you want to send me a PM.

wlarson861 wrote:I used EAA insurance from Falcoln and am pleased with them so far. Five hours of T-flight should meet their minimums.

Falcon wanted 10 hours dual in type and model to insure me in my taildragger. I too was a freshly minted endorsee. I also had 60 hours in a tri gear sonex. I'm now approaching 25 hours taildragger in a sonex and will re-apply.

Got a quote back from falcon. They want 15 hours dual and 10 hours solo in the sonex before I will be covered. That's some pretty crappy requirements coming from eaa's recommended insurance company. There is no way to get 10 hours solo so I can forget about first flight coverage. Another builder sent me a local agent to try. I'm going to try calling him tomorrow. Worst case scenario is to go with liability only from the ultralight pilots association. They will write a liability only policy for lsa and experimentals for about $400 a year. Of course that means if I ding the sonex it is on me.

Keith
#554

kmacht wrote:Got a quote back from falcon. They want 15 hours dual and 10 hours solo in the sonex before I will be covered. That's some pretty crappy requirements coming from eaa's recommended insurance company. There is no way to get 10 hours solo so I can forget about first flight coverage. Another builder sent me a local agent to try. I'm going to try calling him tomorrow. Worst case scenario is to go with liability only from the ultralight pilots association. They will write a liability only policy for lsa and experimentals for about $400 a year. Of course that means if I ding the sonex it is on me.

Keith
#554

That's exactly what I did. USUA covers $1M liability from first flight, but not for passengers. Only persons and property outside your plane. All dings are on me. I did qualify for Falcon as a tri gear after I got my time in it, but converting to tailwheel reset the clock for me. They told me 25 hours total Sonex tailwheel and they will reconsider.

They have really changed their requirements. I hadd around 350hrs total and 110 tail wheel. They wanted 3 hrs Sonex time. At that time there was no t-flight available so I went naked for the first three hours. Don't know what they would quote today for experience requirement. 25hours is excessive.

When you want to talk to Falcon Insurance (EAA Program) I urge you to call Bob Mackey directly. He's a VP of the Falcon program, but is based here in Oshkosh and knows the Sonex and the T-Flight program first-hand. He can get you a better arrangement than if you call the Falcon 800 number. Bob has a toll-free number as well. It's 888-230-3252. His direct number is the same, except with a 920 area code (920-230-3252). The EAA program offers much better, broader coverage for experimental aircraft than you can get from any other source, so it's worth the effort.

Go with an independent agent. I used Ladd Gardner in Addison TX based on recommendation of a fellow Sonex builder. There are usually aviation agents in just about any city with a healthy aviation environment.

Note: the first flight of my sonex was MY first flight in a sonex. It was also my first solo TW flight.

I had liability only from day one; hull coverage started on the first flight after my test period. I had no requirement for hours in type. Private pilot, about 350 hrs total.