Insurance for Gyros

DonBishop

Active Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2020
Messages
133
Location
Grizzly Flats
Aircraft
Mooney M20J
Total Flight Time
1200 hours
I tried a search and got ... well, pretty much everything but what I was looking for.

Where in the name of Zeus' a-hole are you finding insurance for your gyrocopters? My broker hadn't even heard of a gyrocopter and hasn't had any luck finding an underwriter who will take on the "risk." '

Thanks!
 
Thanks. Just sent them an email. Bourbon? Check. Chair? Check. Email? Open slowly.
 
Some here go through Falcon. Nobody gets off cheaply.
 
Any update on the PRA insurance initiative
 
Does $7500 a year sound reasonable? It doesn't to me. But, that's the first quote that came in.
 
I have seen numbers roughly 8% of hull value, and that's with a commercial rating, lots of pilot hours, and many years of claim-free continuous coverage.

P.S. and Standard Airworthiness
 
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Any update on John Roundtree? Did the PRA convention convene this year?????
Seems there was a disappointing turnout at Mentone with low attendance not helped by weather.
 
Well, I paid "only" US$ 4300 - but I had valued my used gyro for just € 35000.

About 10% of the insured value... Some of it because of my schooling.

As it's the open MTO, I'll leave it in the hangar for at least 3 winter months and I've heard
I have to pay for one of those. So, a small rebate after all.

But the fixed wing guys pay A LOT less...
 
Does $7500 a year sound reasonable? It doesn't to me. But, that's the first quote that came in.
When I was a 100 hour light sport Gyro Pilot, the rate for my insurance
was $5,800 for my 2019 AutoGyro MTO.
 
Does $7500 a year sound reasonable? It doesn't to me. But, that's the first quote that came in.
$65K M-16, ~350 hours at last renewal was something like $4600. I did think about dropping the hull value, but I'd have to drop it a _lot_ to really help. That was with Starr - I've had QBE before, but they went up a lot in 2019 or 2020.
 
I tried a search and got ... well, pretty much everything but what I was looking for.

Where in the name of Zeus' a-hole are you finding insurance for your gyrocopters? My broker hadn't even heard of a gyrocopter and hasn't had any luck finding an underwriter who will take on the "risk." '

Thanks!
Lori Spencer, Falcon Insurance out of Texas. [email protected] +1 (800) 880-0801 I've been with her coverage for 10+ years.
 
I'm open for company suggestions. Laura Scherer with Falcon Insurance just informed me that all her underwriters declined to offer coverage. I've had fixed wing coverage for 20 years and gyro liability for about 3 years, before being dropped by QBE. Never a claim.
 
The difficulty in getting insurance for gyros appears to be the same in the US as here in Oz. Insurance for us has become the main impediment to the progress of our form aviation.
 
I'm open for company suggestions. Laura Scherer with Falcon Insurance just informed me that all her underwriters declined to offer coverage. I've had fixed wing coverage for 20 years and gyro liability for about 3 years, before being dropped by QBE. Never a claim.
Try Denise Porter: https://avwestinsurance.com/ - a student pilot in our hangar got insurance through Starr last month.
 
I know it is a huge mistake to fly our gyros with no insurance, but,.... realistically,... how many gyro owners/operators/pilots fly without having insurance? Half of us? 1 out of 10 no insurance? 1 out of 10 WITH insurance? What would you guess?
 
I know it is a huge mistake to fly our gyros with no insurance, but,.... realistically,... how many gyro owners/operators/pilots fly without having insurance? Half of us? 1 out of 10 no insurance? 1 out of 10 WITH insurance? What would you guess?
When we include lower sale priced historical/classic home built gyroplane that store them at home in trailer or garage and mostly fly in elsewhere areas and small uncontrolled airports.

It is way less than 1 out of 10 Bob.

That group is the largest in the USA.
Those in that group that do have insurance are because they store it at an airport hangar that requires them to carry it in case it catches on fire and burns down all the other aircraft in all the hangers.
99% of that group mostly only want to buy liability insurance and not comprehensive. They take the risk themselves if they damage it.

However, the fastest-growing segment of our community is modern gyroplanes that cost from $50 to $130K that fly it into all airspace and over cities.

That group about 80% want or feel they need to buy full coverage.
 
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