Hi All,

Recently some CFIGs in our local club have really gotten skittish
about sharing their knowledge. They seem to be getting all amped up
about the legal liability issues of instructing in today's court
system - even to the point of being reluctant to talk in our club's
online discussion forum about general soaring knowledge!

I think this is a bit paranoid, but I understand their concern. Its a
simple fact that in the USA today there's no fool-proof way to prevent
yourself from being sued over _anything_. The case might eventually
be dismissed - but there's no way to stop it before you have to retain
defense counsel and such (costing you $$). The question in my mind is
much more about the LIKELIHOOD of being the target of legal action,
and how to reduce the risk.

There's CFI insurance out there - but some aviation attorneys claim
that the deep pockets of an insurance company attract legal action
just as much as they help defend against it. And in our club's
particular situation (volunteer instructors and free instruction for
students), the cost is prohibitive. And liability waivers and
exculpatory statements are not always recognized by the court.

I've emailed the AOPA and gotten a few answers from John Yodice
(mostly recommendations to study previous articles he's written in
AOPA Pilot magazine) - but In trying to determine the likelihood of
legal action I'd love to know if any of you have ever known a CFIG
that was the target of legal action because of something a student did
(during training, or long after training was completed).

Anyone?

Thanks,

--Noel