tailwheel insurance

And what company would that be?

Helen

There is at least one insurance company that will insure tailwheel aircraft (with a few models excluded) with student pilots.

For owners or renters? Owners I'd easily believe, renters you would
have to prove to me.

Renters. Avemco as a minimum. Just call them, tell them your're a CFI
with 1000 hours tailwheel time, and want to put a Cub or Champ on the
line as a rental, with yourself as the only instructor. No problem. A
friend of mine just made that call. The insurance was available,
though it was expensive.

There are at least two tailwheel airplanes available for rent in
Houston that can be soloed by student pilots.

One is quite expensive, mainly due to insurance. This is because they
will cover minimally qualified tailwheel instructors. 100 hours
tailwheel time, with 15 hours in make and model is the minimum they
will consider, and every instructor must be named. Each instructor
also needs a checkout from the chief instructor, who has literally
thousands of hours in taildraggers. I doubt they would insure a
minimally qualified tailwheel instructor who wants to go it alone.

The other one is much cheaper, but the instructor standards are
significantly more stringent.

Michael

I heard a rumor that there no long is an insurance company, any
insurance company, willing to insure a tailwheel plane for primary
training. Is this true?

No. There is still a locally based 65 hp cub available for rent. Solo
requires 10 hours tailwheel time, 5 hours in make and model, and a CFI
checkout. Student pilots are A-OK.

These rumors are started by flight schools that have an unattractive
claim history or can't attract and retain qualified tailwheel
instructors (someone whose tailwheel time is in two digits is NOT
qualified) and thus can't get insurance for student solo in their
taildraggers.

Insurance in entry-level taildraggers for student pilots who are signed
off by qualified tailwheel instructors is not a problem.

Michael

These rumors are started by flight schools that have an unattractive claim history or can't attract and retain qualified tailwheel instructors

Its also a lot easier to renew a policy that start a new one. If you
already have a tailwheel and have been accident free you have a much
better change than someone trying to add a TW to their FBO.

-Robert

Its also a lot easier to renew a policy that start a new one. If you
already have a tailwheel and have been accident free you have a much
better change than someone trying to add a TW to their FBO.

One of the Houston operations I am thinking of is not accident free.
They have a fleet of a few Citabrias and Decathlons, and groundloop one
every few years. Insurance companies understand that groundloops are
an inevitable part of tailwheel training, and will accept them - within
reason. Student solo is possible in the Citabrias at this operation.

At my home field, we had an operation with one Citabria that didn't fly
very much. In the four years they had it, they had two wing strikes
and five prop strikes. Unsurprisingly, they can't get insured for
student solo.

Michael

The FBO (Stanton Sport Aviation) at Stanton MN continues to have
insurance for tailwheel instruction and rental. However, the unsolved
insurance issue there is for those customers with no medical, hoping
for a for Sport Pilot License, either students or licensed.

Helen Woods wrote:
I heard a rumor that there no long is an insurance company, any
insurance company, willing to insure a tailwheel plane for primary
training. Is this true?

Helen
I'd suggest you contact a school that gives primary in a taildragger
and ask them where/how they get insurance. Here are two places
I've flown and I believe that they both give primary instruction
on their taildraggers.
Sport Aviation, Van Sant www.vansantairport.com
Sunrise Aviation, John Wayne Airport, CA www.sunrise-aviation.com

I also know of two places in Canada that gives primary in a taildragger
and
one that gives primary on floatplanes (that switch to skiis in the
winter).
If you want the names of these, just email me. (The Canadian insurance
situation is a little different, but not much w.r.t. hull coverage.)

I think the answer is that is still possible, but not easy.

Good luck with it, rick