Warbird Information Exchange

I was just talking to a fellow that is part-owner of a T-28. We started discussing insurance coverage for high-performance piston-engine warbird types. He stated that insurance agencies are becoming more and more restrictive as to what type aircraft they will insure and what conditions of operation they will cover. He suggested that very soon, if not already, insurers are restricting airspeed, altitude, and especially certain kinds of manuvers that can be performed. Examples would be: No arobatics, no high speed passes at low altitudes, no formation flying, etc.

Does this seem correct? this could be another reason that we may not see Warbirds flying 30 years from now. No one will insure them.

There are many restrictions on my insurance for the L-5, but they aren't excessive. If I want them added, I can have them added. It just costs more. But I don't need acrobatic flight on the airplane (although the type is acrobatic with exception of outside loops) for what I do with it. And there is nothing so excessive in the insurance that prevents me from doing anything 'interesting' except that I can't do real high performance take offs with a 45 degree climb angle- I am prohibited from making sudden pitch changes above or below 30 degrees of deflection. That is not a bad thing for 63 year old timber in the wings.

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REMEMBER THE SERGEANT PILOTS!

For me formation flight is prohibited by insurance. I guess I too could add that with an appropriate input of Franklins.

I work closely on the renewalof our insurnce each year, including switching underwriters last year. There are very few underwritersout there for warird insurance. There are lots of agents that represent the underwriters. I suspect that 90% or more of the warbirds that are operated in the Us are insured with only 2 or 3 different underwriters. It the the underwriter that makes the decisions on what they will cover and for what uses.

When getting the insurance on the F4U, TBM, F-4, TA-4, B-17, B-24, B-25, PT-17, AT-6, Fi-156, UC-78, and UH-1 we simply tell them what each aircraft will be used for and how many seats the aircraft has. Some of the aircraft offer flight experiences so we have to pay so much per seat. Some of the aircraft fly in formation, so the premiums for those aircraft are slightly higher. I have not had them tell us that we can not do anything in particular with any of the aircraft. There are just activities that cost more. I think the limitations are more the decision of the operator as to how much he wants to pay for insurance. The only limitation that I have seen from our underwriter is the hour requirements for the pilots for each particular aircraft.

Actually what kmiles said is pretty much 100% right on. There are literally tons of agents. There are only about 4 companies that write aviation policies.

You can pretty much do what you want to do, but you have to pay for it. Also there are no discounts that I have seen for spending lots of $$$ on maint (hence making your airplane safer). Also its getting harder (or maybe impossible is the right word) to get more than $100,000 a seat liability.

One of the important aspects of insurance is that you are getting a prepaid legal defense. Where the insurance company is defending themselves and you along with it. With a $100,000 a seat, you more insurance companies coming in and tossing in the towel (or $100k check) and leaving you hanging on the balance.

Personally for quite a few years I've been flyign without insurance on some pretty expensive stuff. I spend the insurance money on making sure that the engine keeps running and fly it sensibly. When insurance on a turbine helicopter was hitting 10%+ of hull value, I saved a ton of money over 7 years. 2% I can live with, 10% is just out there.

Oh yeah, no joyrides with no insurance either..................

I can imagine a lot of warbirds do not have hull insurance.

Mark H