On a trip from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans, FLYING contributor Dick Karl had a bird strike–a big one. [Courtesy: Dick Karl]
Key Takeaways:
After recovering from a serious illness, an experienced pilot nearing 80 seeks to return to aircraft ownership but faces significant new hurdles, particularly regarding aviation insurance.
Despite a stable insurance history, his annual premium for a jet dramatically increased to nearly $93,000 at age 77, forcing him out of single-pilot jet ownership due to what he identifies as age discrimination.
He is now exploring more affordable aircraft options like the Cirrus SR22 or Cessna 340, which still present substantial annual insurance costs (estimated $35,000-$42,000), contingent on his ongoing health.
There were several months last winter when I cared nothing about airplanes. Bedridden for a month by the one-two punch of a bone marrow transplant for acute myeloid leukemia, I was so sick that I didn’t think about my lifelong love—aviation.
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Dick Karl is a cancer surgeon who appreciates the beauty and science involved in both surgery and flying. Dick’s monthly Gear Up celebrates the human side of flying. He writes about his enthusiasm for both the machines and the people who fly and maintain them.
