A student is scheduled to fly a school or club aircraft tomorrow. Is the insurance paperwork actually in order? This checklist gives flight school owners and managers a quick way to verify coverage before the flight, without slowing the schedule. It covers insurance items only, and every policy has its own wording, so read the policy itself.
Who should run the checklist?
Assign one person, such as the front desk or the chief instructor. Running it the same way for every student makes gaps easy to spot and keeps the process fair.
1. Confirm who is flying
Note whether the pilot is a student, a CFI or a renter. Each group often flies differently, and our pages for flight student insurance and CFI insurance show how SkyWatch approaches them.
2. Match the use category to the flight
P&B means Pleasure & Business. I&R means Instruction & Rental. Commercial is also available. A lesson, a rental and a paid flight can fall into different categories, so check that the policy category fits the planned flight.
3. Check the coverage period
SkyWatch offers on-demand policies by the day, week, month and year. Confirm that the policy dates cover the flight, and that a day or week policy has not expired since it was bought. A student who flies a few times a month may suit a monthly plan, while a visiting pilot may only need a day.
4. Compare the hull limit with your minimum
Liability for damage to non-owned aircraft (hull) is $5K to $200K on monthly and annual policies. Short-term plans have a maximum hull limit of $75K. If your school requires more than $75K for a given aircraft, a short-term plan will not meet it. Our article on hull and liability limits helps you set the number.
5. Compare the liability limits
Liability runs from $250K per accident and $25K per passenger up to $1M per accident and $200K per passenger. Check the policy against what your school or club requires.
6. Look at the certificate of insurance
Read the COI, not just the confirmation email. Check the pilot name, the dates and the limits. Check that the owner or lessor of the aircraft is listed correctly. If you use SkyWatch, your school offices can be added as cc on every COI, which puts a copy in your inbox automatically.
7. Note optional coverages
Medical expense is available up to $10K. Deductible reimbursement is available up to $25K: the Liability Insurance for Damage to Non-owned Aircraft reimburses 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. Record whether the pilot bought them.
8. Make sure the pilot has read the exclusions
Every policy has exclusions. We do not list them here. Ask the pilot to read the policy wording and bring questions to the school or the insurer.
9. File the record
Keep the COI and the checklist result in the pilot's file. A custom flight school portal can also be set to your minimum thresholds, so students only see qualifying options from the start. Learn more in our guide to setting minimum insurance thresholds.
Want students to arrive with the right coverage already in place? Start a non-owned aircraft insurance profile with SkyWatch.
