Sun N Fun '07 Redux

Morgans wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote


Well, Jim, the average Cirrus pilot is paying $10 - $15K annually for
insurance, from what I've been told.

Makes my $1200/year seem positively reasonable.


I had no idea that it was so expensive to insure jets.

I have a hard time seeing how they will ever be able to get the cost down
low enough to make air taxi service with the VLJ's affordable.

Eclipse is quoting around $32K for full coverage on it's 500 for a "fully
qualified pilot" (ie, something around 2000+/500 hour pilot), or $64K for a
newbie.

http://www.eclipseaviation.com/ownership/insurance/

Which immediately makes me wonder why some of the VLJ manufacturers couldn't
become the insurance under writers for their aircraft?

They would have the cheapest replacement parts to repair a customers botched
airplane. They could demand strict training or mentor programs. They could
sell the highest risk to other underwriters and keep the safest risk. It
would provide an additional income stream.

Downside could be a large lawsuit or several out of court settlements
costing the company valuable liquid assets. I guess settlements could be
time installments based on annuities, similar to lotteries.. but I'm getting
ahead of myself.

Any other thoughts about manufacturers underwriting the insurance?

Jim

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...
Morgans wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote


Well, Jim, the average Cirrus pilot is paying $10 - $15K annually for
insurance, from what I've been told.

Makes my $1200/year seem positively reasonable.


I had no idea that it was so expensive to insure jets.

I have a hard time seeing how they will ever be able to get the cost
down
low enough to make air taxi service with the VLJ's affordable.

Eclipse is quoting around $32K for full coverage on it's 500 for a "fully
qualified pilot" (ie, something around 2000+/500 hour pilot), or $64K for
a
newbie.

http://www.eclipseaviation.com/ownership/insurance/

Matt Barrow wrote:
Morgans wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote


Well, Jim, the average Cirrus pilot is paying $10 - $15K annually
for insurance, from what I've been told.

Makes my $1200/year seem positively reasonable.


I had no idea that it was so expensive to insure jets.

I have a hard time seeing how they will ever be able to get the cost
down low enough to make air taxi service with the VLJ's affordable.

Eclipse is quoting around $32K for full coverage on it's 500 for a
"fully qualified pilot" (ie, something around 2000+/500 hour pilot),
or $64K for a newbie.

http://www.eclipseaviation.com/ownership/insurance/

If I'm doing the math right that's about 2% of hull value for the "fully
qualified pilot" and 4% for a newbie. Sounds about right. I was checking
insurance costs for the 601XL I'm building and was quoted $445.00/year on a
$40K hull cost.

I wasn't there this year, but one other other item for the good list was
that Marion Blakey didn't show up. I finally got my Ku band satellite
receiver set up to receive the transmissions from the FAA Production
Studios there, and I caught the "Meet the FAA" session. They said she
had an international travel schedule conflict. (Uh. Ya, right.)

What are the odds of her showing up at OSH?

The TV people there do a pretty nice job. I'm going to try to remember
to record their seminars throughout the year.

I see that the FAA has brought out more ammunition in the power grab
they want in a statement countering the AOPA points.

http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/...fm?newsId=8747

On Apr 23, 9:10 pm, Jay Honeck wrote:
For some reason, I hope that a guy who can afford to own an utterly
useless $1 million dollar plane can probably afford to **** away $240
per hour to fly it.

I disagree. Isn't that somewhat analagous to saying that a person who
could afford an $80k airplane can afford to **** away another $20 per
hour in additional taxes and fees? I'll bet that most of the folks
with the resources to invest in something like a P-51 got and kept
those resources by not ****ing away any money at all.

-R

I agree with the missing butter theory. On the Saturday right before SnF,
Kermit Week's hosted a Mustang's and Mustang's show and Fantasy of Flight. I
didn't go but I flew over the field. There were thousands of people there.
The parking lot looked full. The ramp area was packed with both P-51s and
Fords.

Interesting bringing up Kermit Weeks. Mary and I tried to find our
way to his nearby "Fantasy of Flight" museum during the week, and were
astounded to find that there was NO shuttle bus from the SNF grounds
to his museum. NONE.

Not for any price -- which seemed really, really weird. I figured
there must be bad blood between them.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article ePcXh.5106$Fc1.3054@trnddc05,
"muff528" wrote:

Also, in past years SNF was scheduled, by design
or by chance, to coincide with the MacDill Airfest.

As I recall, once upon a time, there was a warbird gathering in TICO(?)
the week before the first weekend of SNF. Many of the warbirds gathered
there the first week, their pilots took the express tube home for the
week, then returned the next weekend, retrieved their aircraft, went Sun
N Fun for the week, then flew home.

In article . com,
Jay Honeck wrote:

Interesting bringing up Kermit Weeks. Mary and I tried to find our
way to his nearby "Fantasy of Flight" museum during the week, and were
astounded to find that there was NO shuttle bus from the SNF grounds
to his museum. NONE.

That's quite a ways away.
Fantasy of Flight is southwest of Disney World.
That's on the west side of Orlando.
That's about 60 miles away.
Not really a shuttle ride away.

Matt Whiting wrote:
RST Engineering wrote:

No problem. I'll give T-shirts away at my forum this year to any
female willing to take her shirt off and put mine on during the forum
... on stage.


Even if she has two shirts on? :-)
Damned you Matt, you blew my plan!!!

Margy

Margy Natalie wrote:
Matt Whiting wrote:
RST Engineering wrote:

No problem. I'll give T-shirts away at my forum this year to any
female willing to take her shirt off and put mine on during the forum
... on stage.


Even if she has two shirts on? :-)
Damned you Matt, you blew my plan!!!

Margy

Well, it is still a good plan and you have Jim's word on it! :-)

Matt