OMG, Insurance!

The market closes in on an aviator deemed too old.

Dick Karl

Monday, May 15, 2023 at 01:06 PM ET

Verified

[Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

An experienced single-pilot jet owner has been effectively grounded from single-pilot operations due to new, age-based insurance criteria, despite his extensive experience and excellent safety record.
Insurance for single-pilot flight on his jet became prohibitively expensive, increasing nearly tenfold to approximately $100,000, making it functionally unavailable.
The author attributes these drastic insurance changes to broader market issues (e.g., Boeing 737 Max accidents, Ukraine war) rather than any evidence of increased risk from older, experienced pilots.
This unexpected loss of his flying freedom, overriding decades of loyalty to his insurer, has left the pilot profoundly sad and contemplating significant changes to his aviation lifestyle.

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Yesterday I flew our Cessna Citation CJ1 single pilot from Austin, Texas, to Tampa, Florida. The weather was good at both ends, but a cold front with thunderstorms reaching upwards of 45,000 feet into the sky lay in wait across the route. At FL 390 only a minor deviation was required and our flight time was only a few minutes more than forecast. We were home safe by 3 p.m.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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