So far all I?ve read indicates that anyone we hurt flying is out of luck if we can?t personally afford to pay for their care and recovery. We carry insurance to insure those we hurt following our dream at least have some protection from any error we make. Come on people, insurance is to help others recover from our mistakes. Be responsible and fly responsibly or don?t fly at all. No insurance means don?t fly. We all have to hang it up sometime - be thankful for the time we were allowed to enjoy this gift called flight!

From Leah Ringeisen of Gallagher Aviation Insurance.

"DID YOU KNOW older pilots need to take extra precautions when comes to insurance?":

"Did you know that some insurance companies will deny starting coverage for you once you reach a certain age no matter what your health condition is? It?s true, before you turn 75 years old, make sure you are with a solid company. A company that won?t reduce coverage, require an annual medical, or require you to fly ?dual only? just because you had another birthday. There are several good companies for senior pilots, so if you are 75 years or older, check with your agent to make sure you won?t have any surprises come your next renewal. Age is just a number. You can still fly insured well into your 80?s as long as you plan ahead."

And a wise thought, at that... pass the torch.

I can't believe I forgot one of the most important things: If you aren't already living in one, move to an airpark ! This way when the time comes that you can't fly by yourself there will be neighbors that will gladly take you up with them. Of course pick your airpark wisely. That's just another reason why I built mine, I want to share experiences between other like-minded neighbors....

If you are an AOPA member or EAA member give them a call. They have some partnerships with insurance companies. I used EAA to get insurance for the 4 homebuilts I built and the Yak I used to own. They are used to these kinds of situations, and if anybody can help you they can.

That's an excellent question. I re-read my Signature contract and it seems that they only demand liability insurance on their premises. If my insurance premium goes up to impossible levels, I'll contact my agent and see what he can do for me. Thank you for the suggestion!

I live in a Skypark and the average age around here is OLD so I have observed what happens when pilots stop flying. From my observations, they get to the point where they are only flying a few hours per year and then stop for several years and finally sell their airplane. I think they just run out of gas. My neighbor at the end of my block called me to help him get his Mooney 232 out of the hanger which I happily complied. He shortly sold it because "If I don't have the strength to wheel my plane out of the hanger, I?m going to sell it"

Most old pilots that want to fly and can pass a medical usually are young enough to get insurance. One thing is for sure, if you are capable enough to maintain an airplane, you are more than capable of flying one. An old charter pilot and IA told me once "They can teach a monkey how to fly an airplane but they can?t teach a monkey to work on one." I have noticed a considerable deterioration of the aircraft owned by older pilots that stop flying.

I think we all will know when it?s time stop flying and for the very few pilots that can?t get insurance before that time, well, more power to you and let your conscious be your guide.

My friend who is 72 years old just bought an RV-12 to fly as a Sport Pilot. He had a very difficult time finding ANY insurance company that would insure for both comprehensive and liability. He finally found a very restrictive policy through Gallagher, paying $2000+ for liability, and $9500+ for both. He chose the very expensive option...at least for the next year. The sad reality is that Light-Sport flying using a drivers license without an FAA medical gets exponentially more expensive with age. He would not have purchased his RV-12 if unable to at least get liability coverage.

No Insurance after 90
 

I am not questioning your statements but there must be more facts or circumstances to make coverage that high. I am 72 and renewed my policy on my RV-12 in February. Full coverage liability, hull, and medical pay was just over $1,300.00 a year.

Those numbers you quoted alarmed me and I am sure some others. If there are additional factors, prior accidents,etc. please let us know.

Thanks.

Respectfully, life consists of continuous risk assessment. Insurance is a tool to help manage risk. Considering flying without insurance ties to the plane, the airport, the surrounding community, and one's personal health, estate and financial condition. I could see myself in this situation, considering flying from a sparsely populated airstrip, away from developed areas. From my airpark, I could easily manage a flight without passing over a single house or business. And I would make sure I had enough resources available in my estate to take care of recovering the plane and me. Thankfully, we still have the freedom to make our own, hopefully informed, personal risk management decisions in America.