Every flight school has a line students are not allowed to go below. Some schools set a hull floor, others set a passenger limit, and almost all have a rule about proof of coverage. The hard part is getting students to follow those rules without a stack of emails and phone calls. Instructors end up policing paperwork, and the front desk ends up reading policies it was never trained to read. A custom school portal moves that check into the quote itself, before the student ever reaches your counter.
What a custom school portal does
SkyWatch can customize flight school portals to meet a school's minimum thresholds. A student who opens your portal sees only the options that qualify. There is no guessing, and no buying a plan the school then turns away. It works with non-owned aircraft insurance, which covers pilots flying aircraft they do not own, such as school trainers.
The ranges you are working within
Your minimums need to sit inside what the coverage offers. Here are the ranges:
- Liability for damage to non-owned aircraft (hull): $5K to $200K on monthly and annual policies. Short-term plans have a maximum hull limit of $75K.
- Liability: from $250K per accident and $25K per passenger up to $1M per accident and $200K per passenger.
- Medical expense: up to $10K.
- Deductible reimbursement: up to $25K.
How to pick your minimums
Start with the deductible on your own hull policy. If a damaged trainer would cost the school a set amount out of pocket, your hull minimum should reflect that. Then look at the fleet. A basic two-seat trainer and a complex four-seater may not need the same hull number, so decide whether one threshold fits every aircraft or whether you need tiers.
Next, decide which use types count. P&B means Pleasure & Business, I&R means Instruction & Rental, and there is also Commercial. A school that rents to students usually cares most about I&R, but confirm what fits your operation.
Finally, think about coverage periods. A student on a short course may buy a short-term plan, while a member who flies every week is better served by a monthly or annual one. If your hull minimum is above $75K, short-term plans will not meet it, so say so clearly in your school policy.
Checklist before you send your thresholds
- Hull minimum for each aircraft type in your fleet
- Per accident and per passenger liability minimums
- Whether short-term plans are acceptable, given the $75K hull cap
- Which use types qualify: P&B, I&R or Commercial
- Any medical expense or deductible reimbursement requirement
- Which school offices should receive paperwork
Review the numbers every year
Aircraft values change, and so does your fleet. Revisit your thresholds once a year, and any time you add a newer aircraft to the line. Send the updated numbers to SkyWatch so the portal keeps matching your policy.
Why it saves time
When the portal only shows qualifying options, the front desk stops reviewing policies that fall short. Your flight student insurance and CFI insurance options follow the same rules, so everyone buys from one place. Pair this with cc on every COI and the school office also receives each certificate directly.
One caution: every policy has exclusions, and they are not the same as your school's rules. Tell students to read the policy before they fly.
Ready to see how it works for students at your school? Start a quote with SkyWatch.
