Age-related Insurance restrictions

[DonFromTX]

Not intended to encourage thread drift, but other factors start working against older pilots as well. I found with the newer BFR rules, a CFI feels he is really going out on a limb to sign off on a BFR on an "older" pilot, for fear that if he ever had a mishap, the CFI would be held accountable. I got some flimsy excuses like "I don't do a BFR in any Experimental, or Light Sport planes, or with instruments that are not round, or on pilots that are old". I have even seen some "milk" the system for money, require 10 or more hours of dual, only in their plane, then claim the person was "not ready yet" I was young once and viewed older people the same way I guess, when you are in your 20s, you only think of someone who is 82 as only an authority on dinosaurs.

[RFSchaller]

Have you guys worked through EAA or AOPA? One thing I have heard is that once you get a quote it prejudices others, but that might be urban legend. I have insured five experimentals (3 EAB, 1 ELSA and 1 Russian trainer experimental exhibition). I started with EAA each time and got what I consider reasonable rates.

[pilotyoung]

My answer is first, find a competent insurance broker that represent all the major insurance companies. Then tell hem/her everything about the way your use and fly your airplane. When you go to a doctor for a complete physical exam, you completely undress and the Dr. has unrestricted access to your body to evaluate your health. When you go to your insurance broker, you must do a complete financial and aviation use undressing and give him complete access to all the data on how you use your aircraft. Who flies your aircraft? Does a non-owner pilot compensate you in any way for flying your airplane. Do any of the pilots do any kind of aerobatics? Is the aircraft flown internationally. Does any pilot fly the aircraft in waivered airspaced. Is the aircraft used for training. Tell all these facts and more. Then you are ready to ask the broker to begin getting you quotes for insurance from all the companies that insure your type aircraft and your type of use. Once you get those quotes, you can evaluate all responses and make sense of them. Don't just take what you overheard some other pilot say happened to him as gospel.