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Do I Need Renter’s Insurance?

If you have assets to protect, then insurance is a good idea.

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If you have assets to protect, then insurance is a good idea. [Credit: Shutterstock]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Student pilots are strongly advised to carry their own aviation insurance, as flight school policies often provide limited coverage and may not protect against all liabilities.
  • Even with some coverage from the flight school, pilots can be held financially responsible for aircraft damages and the school's loss of revenue due to an incident.
  • Specialized renter pilot insurance policies are available, and pilots can often receive discounts by participating in FAA-recognized safety programs.
See a mistake? Contact us.

Question: I have just started flight training, and the flight school is telling me that I need to carry insurance to fly their airplanes. If I am flying their airplanes, shouldn’t I be covered under the school’s insurance policy? Flight training is expensive enough without this. Do I really need to have insurance?

Answer: If you have assets to protect like a home, car, bank account, etc., then insurance is a good idea. Many student pilots and private pilots fly without it because they don’t know it is available or think they are covered under the flight school’s policy. 

You are, to an extent. However, if there is an accident or incident that results in the loss of a revenue-generating aircraft, the flight school will go after you for any losses not covered by the school’s insurance.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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