Airport/County required insurance

t82

t82

Well-Known Member
How many of you independent contractor type CFIs are required by the airport owner to have liability insurance?

If so how much and what does it cover?

The county that owns the airport nearby wants CFIs to carry $1 million.
My objection is that it is unfair as they do not require this from visiting CFIs (those just flying in for a few touch and goes etc).
I have no problem with insuring myself but I believe the airport wants the coverage to include them too.
As I do not have an office or own a plane, I wonder how they establish that I am "based" at that airport and so need the insurance?
 
t82 said:
How many of you independent contractor type CFIs are required by the airport owner to have liability insurance?
Click to expand...

There are a number of threads on this topic over the years in several newsgroups, but no one ever says what the end result was. Many commenters suggest that such requirements are either illegal or unenforceable. Many advise contacting AOPA, which is probably a good idea.

My question is, what can/will they do if you say, "Sorry, I'm not doing to do it"? All you're doing is getting into an airplane with someone who has tie-down space there; what you do in the airplane is your business. Can they ban you from a public airport? I'm skeptical.
 
2 grand for airport/hangar keepers liability. This insurance is a scam. Unless you have a lease signed with the airport tell them to go F themselves. If you are leasing a building from the city or even a tie-down then you have less say in the matter. They are going to want to be named on the policy. This insurance is only for their benefit.

These municipal airports are generally 90% funded by the federal government and they have to abide by the rules or risk losing their funding. If they try and restrict your access to the airport, you have a few steps you can take. You can start an informal complaint with the FAA and hope to get things cleared up, otherwise there is a formal complaint process. AOPA legal services seems like a good investment for you. The airport manager obviously hasn't looked over the regs that HE HAS to follow.

Be careful about the battles you pick, especially with the government. Although the feds are on your side, it could easily end up being way more hassle then its worth. Really though if you just rent a tie-down, just move to another airport and take you business/students elsewhere. The airport manager is more than likely just trying to protect the FBO on the field because of complaints he has received. Too bad, its not his say but this is typical of smaller airport manager crap.

I have all of these files tucked away somewhere and will post more links when I pull them up, but here is a start.

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/arp/offices/aas/aas400/





-Jason
 
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