Hull and liability get most of the attention, but two additional coverages can matter just as much to a flight school: deductible reimbursement and medical expense.
Deductible reimbursement, up to $25K
Flight schools carry their own insurance on the aircraft, and that policy has a physical damage deductible. If a renting pilot damages a school aircraft, the school or lessor may have to pay that deductible first.
Under SkyWatch, the Liability Insurance for Damage to Non-owned Aircraft will reimburse the owner or lessor policy holder of the non-owned aircraft up to the physical damage deductible paid, but not more than the deductible limit purchased. The deductible reimbursement limit can go up to $25K.
What this means in practice
- The reimbursement goes to the owner or lessor, which is often the flight school.
- It is capped at the deductible actually paid.
- It is also capped at the limit the pilot purchased.
If your school's deductible is higher than a pilot's purchased limit, the gap stays with the school. That is a good reason to state a minimum deductible reimbursement in your requirements.
Medical expense, up to $10K
Medical expense coverage helps with medical costs for people injured in an accident, up to $10K. It is a modest amount by design, and it sits alongside the liability limits of $250K to $1M per accident and $25K to $200K per passenger.
Checklist for flight school owners
- What is the physical damage deductible on each school aircraft?
- Does your requirement ask pilots to buy at least that much deductible reimbursement?
- Is the owner or lessor listed correctly on the certificate of insurance?
- Are your offices copied on every COI?
Keep it simple for students
A custom SkyWatch portal can reflect your minimum thresholds, so students choose from options that already meet them, and your school offices are added as cc on each COI.
Ready to see how this works for your school? Talk to the SkyWatch aviation team about custom flight school portals, or get a quote at SkyWatch Aircraft Renter's Insurance.
