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:
A lifelong pilot, recovering from serious illness and nearing 80, desires to return to aircraft ownership but faces significant hurdles, primarily prohibitive aviation insurance costs.
Despite decades of safe flying and extensive experience, his insurance premium for a jet dramatically increased to nearly $93,000 annually upon him turning 77, an increase he attributes to age discrimination.
This insurmountable insurance cost forced him to sell his jet, leading him to explore more affordable aircraft options like the Cirrus SR22 or Cessna 340, which still carry substantial but more manageable premiums.
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.
