Was working on getting a new quote for insurance for my 170 last week, and spoke with a rep from Avemco who advised me to complete at least one of the FAA WINGS online courses to save 5%. That's not a bad savings for a premium in excess of $1500. I'm pretty sure AOPA/AIG/et al have similar discounts.

The online course is super easy and only takes about 30 minutes for one of the 1-credit courses. There are .25 and .5 credit courses too, but you have to complete a 1.00 credit course to qualify for the discount.

Go here to view the online course. You'll need to register with your Pilot Certificate.

http://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/default.aspx

It's nice, because you used to have to attend WINGS lectures in person to get the credit. And, you may learn something.

Once complete you'll have a credit for the course on your record with FAA WINGS. I guess the insurance people have a way of confirming that... I'm about to find out.

What is the deal with Avemco? Their insurance premium quotes
are always 30%-40% more than the other guys... Do you get
anything significant for that much delta in cost? I mean, do you
get a loaner plane or something when you crash yours...???
Or do they rush out to the crash site, pat you on the back and hand
you an ice cold drink or what?

I've always wondered how they stay in business when their
policies cost so much more than the rest of the underwriters
out there....

When I was a student pilot Avemco was the only ones that would cover me, $2500 for the first year. I knocked out a 100 hrs that year and when i renewed AIG offered coverage for $1200 so I switched. Without Avemco I would have been uninsured...perhaps they getby on the guys that are highrisk and have no other choice.

1954C180 wrote:What is the deal with Avemco? Their insurance premium quotes
are always 30%-40% more than the other guys...

Avemco beat AIG in my case.

$1460 vs $1511

Are there any other players?

1954C180 wrote:What is the deal with Avemco? Their insurance premium quotes
are always 30%-40% more than the other guys... Do you get
anything significant for that much delta in cost? I mean, do you
get a loaner plane or something when you crash yours...???
Or do they rush out to the crash site, pat you on the back and hand
you an ice cold drink or what?

I've always wondered how they stay in business when their
policies cost so much more than the rest of the underwriters
out there....

Are they really that much more? They were comparable to everyone else I got quotes from. Avemco's big deal is that you are talking to the actual underwriter - not a broker.

Chris

I renewed last August with AIG via Travers ($1615 for $75K Hull
on my '54 C-180).

I forget the exact amount (I already deleted their e-mail).
but Avemco just quoted me slightly over $2,300 for
the same coverage on the same airplane (go figure...???).

When I got back into flying some years ago, I also asked around for insurance. Found not a lot of difference, at least not for me and my 170. SO, I asked the people at one of the older, if not the oldest continuously operating Flight Schools in Calif., [ Amelia Reids ], there comment was that they finally settled BACK to AVEMCO because of the relative Hassle Free responses of Avemco over the others they had tried.

Being a Flight School that historically teaches new students almost exclusively in Taildraggers, they have inherently had ample opportunity to check out the Customer Relations aspect of their various and sundry insurers over the decades.

That was good enough for me.

Also I had used / bought Avemco's renters policy for years and have read that the more ya sicks with ONE insurer the better off you are in the long run, so, I am still there.

Avemco ALSO, had an answer for instantly on the phone, some of the reputed cheaper options never even had the curtesy to return a call.

Avemco's available in Alaska. AOPA's insurance isn't. Not sure of others.

wannabe wrote:When I got back into flying some years ago, I also asked around for insurance. Found not a lot of difference, at least not for me and my 170. SO, I asked the people at one of the older, if not the oldest continuously operating Flight Schools in Calif., [ Amelia Reids ], there comment was that they finally settled BACK to AVEMCO because of the relative Hassle Free responses of Avemco over the others they had tried.

Being a Flight School that historically teaches new students almost exclusively in Taildraggers, they have inherently had ample opportunity to check out the Customer Relations aspect of their various and sundry insurers over the decades.

That was good enough for me.

Also I had used / bought Avemco's renters policy for years and have read that the more ya sicks with ONE insurer the better off you are in the long run, so, I am still there.

Avemco ALSO, had an answer for instantly on the phone, some of the reputed cheaper options never even had the curtesy to return a call.

Thanks for that. So they are good on claims and answering the phone
(that's good to know). For what it's worth, I happen to have seen the
other side of that coin too (not with any of my airplanes) but it took
*forever* for the insurance company to settle on this particular claim I'm
familar with.

I guess we all have to weigh cost vs quality of service and make a
decision that keeps both our wallets and our quality of service
expectations happy, but I'm not so sure I'm prepared to spend $700
more per year on a policy for having a warm/fuzzy feeling that I know
they will answer the phone!

FWIW, all of my communications (phone, e-mails & letters) with my
current underwriter/broker (AIG/Travers) have been prompt and
courteous (been with them since 2002).

AVEMCO will ALSO give you a 5 % reduction if you take one of the King School's Practical Risk Management courses. These are available on line. That amounts to a 10 % reduction if you do both.

Bela,

AVEMCO is the cheapest I've found currently, but that has not always been the case. As noted, they insure markets that some of the underwriters stay away from, and don't insure in other markets (like Alaska floats).

Bottom line is you need to shop the markets every year, and verify the coverage you're getting. There's a good thread on Supercub.org right now on this very subject.

MTV

Avemco was, and still is, the cheapest insurance I can buy. Additionally, they were the only one without restrictions against off-airport landings .... and other companies had some goofy language restricting "looking at animals".....doesn't work for me here in Montana where I check cows, horses, and occasional elk from the air. I like Avemco.... and have made use of the 10% savings on most years. Good motivation to go back to the classroom, or go to a search and rescue clinic. Lastly, their rates have continually gone down as my tail-wheel time increased. Ralph

1SeventyZ wrote:Was working on getting a new quote for insurance for my 170 last week, and spoke with a rep from Avemco who advised me to complete at least one of the FAA WINGS online courses to save 5%. That's not a bad savings for a premium in excess of $1500. I'm pretty sure AOPA/AIG/et al have similar discounts.

The online course is super easy and only takes about 30 minutes for one of the 1-credit courses. There are .25 and .5 credit courses too, but you have to complete a 1.00 credit course to qualify for the discount.

Go here to view the online course. You'll need to register with your Pilot Certificate.

http://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/default.aspx

It's nice, because you used to have to attend WINGS lectures in person to get the credit. And, you may learn something.

Once complete you'll have a credit for the course on your record with FAA WINGS. I guess the insurance people have a way of confirming that... I'm about to find out.

Are you sure? the last one I attended years ago they gave you a slip of paper that you sat through the program but then you had to take it to an instructor get an hour with him then send it in before they would honor the discount.

About 10 years ago AVEMCO decided to get competitive and since then they are always the cheapest for me but, they only pay out 100K per seat no matter who you are. Something to check on if your giving lots of rides.

Well, I'm at a loss to explain why y'all are getting such a good
deal through Avemco while they're telling me I'd have to pay
$700+ more per year than I do now to insure with them!

Guess I'm "insurance jinxed" or something like that....

My friend Brian Ryckmen from Pheonix asked me to comment on this. I am an Aviation Insurance broker by profession. Pilot the rest of the time.

Avemco is a funny company. They can be VERY competitive when they want to be. Other times, not so much.

In the past the liability portion of the AVEMCO policy was limited.
But they have very loyal clients.

Fact is there is a LOT of competition in this crazy market these days.
Make sure you check a good independent broker (see below:).

As for FAA Wings, doesn't seem to help as much as it used to.
Isn't the FAA getting rid of the Wings program? I always liked it.

Tom Johnson
Airpower Insurance
"If I cant get you a better quote, I will just tell you..."

mr scout wrote:Are you sure? the last one I attended years ago they gave you a slip of paper that you sat through the program but then you had to take it to an instructor get an hour with him then send it in before they would honor the discount.

Yeah, I made use of it today. The completed online course emails you a PDF certificate which the Avemco rep had me email to her.

The Kind course sounds interesting, but the cost of it turns your discount into approx 2%.

Hey, 2% savings is still 2 %, and depending on the basic cost of your policy, it could be a lot more than 2%.

The Wings program is alive, and now lives in the FAAST (FAA Safety Team) world. You have to sign up on line, and enter credits on line as they are earned. Frankly, I think they are killing the program by requiring everything to be done on line, with as many dinosaurs out there flying as there are. They didn't exactly make the online experience pleasant either, which doesn't help.

MTV

Try Regal Aviation Insurance out of Portland OR. They had good rates.

mtv wrote:Frankly, I think they are killing the program by requiring everything to be done on line, with as many dinosaurs out there flying as there are.

Yeah, there are pros and cons to the online version in my opinion. Previously, WINGS seminars were scheduled on the calendar, which only gives a few opportunities a year to catch one locally. Those who stay well informed will have those on their radar, but I think the extra effort to attend across town, combined with the infrequency of the seminars, reduces the effectiveness of the program.

The online courses are convenient, but read and execute just like any FAA exam-- lots of key points and memorized buzzwords.

I agree with you that the dinosaurs who might need some review are going to get left behind by this new direction.

I have no complaints about Global Insurance.

Decent rates and good claims experience.

No Alaska limits, for those who want to fly there.

Any broker can get you a quote from Global.

tD

Best price on insurance for the 170 was AIG through Travers. Best price for the 150TD was AOPA- but they mistakenly quoted a nosedragger. When I had them confirm that the quote was indeed for a taildragger 150, they back-peddled-- but the revised quote was still the lowest of any I got. They threw in some extra discounts for goofing up the first quote is probably why.
I have insured the 170 in the past through AUA & their Vintage program. Good prioce & no off-airport exclusion.

Eric