CFI Checkout in Tailwheel Sonex

[GraemeSmith]

Hi Graeme,

Could you let us know what you were quoted for liability and hull?

That's probably a whole new thread because of the variables. Especially the amount you want to insure the hull for and whether or not it is "tie down", "tie down and taxi" or "all motion". Geography also plays a part. If you live in hurricane or tornado alley. It's going to be worse. So I will exclude that in the discussion.

Liability to $1,000,000 ($100,000 per person) and $5,000 medical payments was about $1,700. "Smooth" was not available ($1,000,000 per person). Seems that smooth is getting harder to place even in certificated.

EAA / Falcon - couldn't find an underwriter - but I honestly didn't feel they tried very hard.

AVEMCO (usually $$$$$$$$) were actually OK - but their sublimits are much worse than who I actually got.

Robbie Culver put me onto Victoria at Air-Pros. She understood what a Sonex is, did the leg work and got me covered. Victoria Neuville - vneuville@air-pros.com

Important to remember - there are really only 12 aviation UNDERWRITERS out there. The more BROKERS you go to trying to get a better deal - the more they shop the SAME UNDERWRITERS on your behalf. The Underwriters quickly get annoyed with this. And their pricing doesn't get any better.

In the past I've asked
AOPA
EAA
and
one other broker recommended by a type club and left it at that.

Robbie recommended Victoria - I was hard to place - she placed me - I'll go with that!




Dio

[XenosN42]

Thanks Graeme,

I take your point about how difficult it is to compare hull coverage. There are so many variables. I don't carry hull coverage on my OneX. I didn't think the risk was worth the cost. So I guess I could say I self insure the hull.

I got my liability insurace through Falcon (assoc. with the EAA). My coverage:

Insured Value: Liability Only
Liability Limit: $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit Subject Excluding Passenger
Medical Payments: $10,000 Each Person (Including Crew)

I pay $351 per year. At my last renewal I was able to claim somewhere over 300 hours (I think) in Sonex tailwheel aircraft (Xenos & OneX).

[GraemeSmith]

4.0 on the Hobbs today - flying up and back to KFIT for a lesson. The CFI signed me off today as having completed the Sonex transition syllabus to his satisfaction. Trouble is I need 1.4 more hours to satisfy the insurers before carrying passengers. So we will try and do some interesting stuff on Thu - like improbable turns and almost incipient spins.

I looped my way home at 100 knots or so at the end of the lesson. Even hit my own wake on a few!