Question about insurance.

[oilcanbland]

Thanks guys for the responses to my previous post about flying with passengers. I've got another quick question. I know that I'm covered on insurance through my school's aviation program. But what about my passengers if I give them a ride? Are they covered too?

 

[bssthound]

According to your profile you're a student. How could you legally carry passengers??

 

[oilcanbland]

I'm not a student anymore, I just haven't updated my profile. I just got my private last weekend.

 

[501261]

Come on, you guys need to stop paying so much attention to these profiles. I'm mean; I'm not even a pilot, if you haven't been able to figure this out from my posts. I'm just the night janitor at your local FBO!

 

[ILLINI]

Are you positive that you are covered under your schools insurance plan? In many cases, flight schools or FBOs will carry insurance to protect their aircraft, but not necessarily the people inside them. The instructors may also be covered b/c they are employees of the company. You might want to double check to make sure.

 

[KlingonLRDRVR]

ILLINI is right. You need to ask your FBO to get a copy of their insurance policy and read it carefully. If you don't understand something contained in it talk to someone who does. Do not take the word of the flight insructor or the help behind the desk because it is likely they do not know or only repeat something they heard. Many FBO insurance policies only cover the FBO leaving you to pay the FBO's deductable for your screw up followed by the insurance company coming back after you for the money they paid out to the FBO. Check into renters insurance. I think AOPA offers some. You may say let them come after me because I have no money any way. In Minnesota a civil judgment is good for 10 years and renewable with very little effort other than noticing you for another 10 years. That's 20 years of a black cloud following you around ruining your chance to get a home mortgage and even very hard to get a car loan. IMHO it's not worth the worry. Get your own renters insurance policy to cover you. I know it sounds expensive but you know the drill with NTSB, I think their reports come pre-printed with the words "Pilot error" on them. Good Luck.

KlingonLRDRVR