On 8 Jun 2004 23:30:15 GMT, Ian Cant
wrote:

David Bingham, writing about Sparrowhawk operations,
mentioned that the USHGA provides liability insurance
coverage for all its members. I checked their website,
and sure enough they have a master policy covering
every member [and every club] up to $1 million, with
a $1000 deductible.

Now, the membership of USHGA is $59 per year, including
a magazine sub.

And while ultralight hang-gliders may have a little
less liability damage potential than a Nimbus, they
are flown by unlicensed pilots under loosely controlled
conditions. It seems that the two risks might be comparable.

Why can the SSA not offer some similar coverage to
all members ? What would it require, and how much
might it cost ? And how many more members might join
SSA just for that ?

Ian






Don't even think about it.
You and the SSA will be in an immediate conflict of interest in the
event you make a claim. The SSA will want to keep the premium low by
a low successful claims history, you will want the insurer to pay out.
The SSA will only annoy you by not paying out, annoy all the members
if premiums increase- and they will anyway as this will be a
relatively captive market for the insurer.

Don't believe me? Then find out what happened to the Brits who got hit
by the parachutist in France and if the BGA insurance paid out.
The one case I know of in Australia under a similar scheme had the
insurer knocking back the claim and the GFA (Gliding Federation of
Australia) deciding not to get involved in backing the claimant.

The Hang Gliding Federation of Australia has a similar scheme which
has now caused a huge problem as the insurer has decided not to cover
the training operations unless the premium goes up by a factor of 3.

Mike Borgelt