Insurance rate in XCub

[dane]

After waiting a year for our XCub, we got a bit of a surprise with the insurance. Quoted from a couple sources and ended up with the lowest being $10,400/yr. Low time pilots: she's PPL with 100 hours total time and just did tailwheel conversion, and I'm 850 hours with no tailwheel time either. Just FYI, for those folks newly getting into tailwheel, combined with the $350K hull value probably makes for this big insurance number.

I'd love to hear what we can look forward to, for folks with 150-200 hours of tailwheel, is there light at the end of the tunnel? Will this get better over the next couple years?

[cityrancher]

I have a relatively low time pilot on my policy and I am a very high time tailwheel pilot with a lot of Alaska time and instrument/commercial rating. We are currently at 2% of hull value. It has slowly come down a bit in the last few years as the low time tailwheel pilot has proven his mettle with the plane. I doubt much below 2% is likely for full coverage (low liability coverage). Insurance companies are not financially fond of taildraggers and off airport landings. With a hull value of $300k plus I am not surprised at your quote.

[dane]

I have a relatively low time pilot on my policy and I am a very high time tailwheel pilot with a lot of Alaska time and instrument/commercial rating. We are currently at 2% of hull value. It has slowly come down a bit in the last few years as the low time tailwheel pilot has proven his mettle with the plane. I doubt much below 2% is likely for full coverage (low liability coverage). Insurance companies are not financially fond of taildraggers and off airport landings. With a hull value of $300k plus I am not surprised at your quote.

Yep, it's a rough combination of high hull value and low time pilots, so I shouldn't have been surprised. Hopefully we'll both accumulate some hours without incident over the next year and achieve lower rates on renewal. 2% of hull value is a good metric to be aware of as a potential floor, thanks for that info.

[Springloaded]

Yep, it's a rough combination of high hull value and low time pilots, so I shouldn't have been surprised. Hopefully we'll both accumulate some hours without incident over the next year and achieve lower rates on renewal. 2% of hull value is a good metric to be aware of as a potential floor, thanks for that info.

Did you do the full Tac Aero training course? I would recommend anyone waiting a year to go get some training. I had my customer with a XCUB on order go get his tailwheel sign off. Then Ive flown with him so he would forget everything that other guy just taught him😀. Then we sent him to Tac Aero for training in a XCUB. His XCUB is well over $350k. He just got his insurance and it Just under $6000. He might have 30hrs TW now.
Chuck

[dane]

Did you do the full Tac Aero training course? ... He just got his insurance and it Just under $6000. He might have 30hrs TW now.
Chuck

Yes, my wife is doing that course now. Given the lower rate your guy got, I'm speculating that it's her low total time that results in the high rate. While I've got 850 hours and an instrument rating (but no tailwheel yet), she's at 100 hours total time. We're probably somewhat typical for buyers transitioning into tailwheel with an XCub, but likely not a great risk for the underwriter.

[Rick Bosshardt]

Dane,
been watching this string.

Question: Did you contact an aviation insurance broker specialist to quote it out for you? Or did you just go to one or two insurance companies yourself?

Over the 5 years that Ive been flying tailwheels, and getting insurance each year, Ive found that each year when the broker farmed out the quote around to the various companies, there was a HUGE difference in the quotes! Sometimes as much as 2X.

It was explained to me that many carriers like to focus on one or two niche areas, and not all of them really want to deal with tailwheel planes. So their quotes are just jacked up.

Its worth having a broker shop around.

Rick

[dane]

Dane,
been watching this string.

Question: Did you contact an aviation insurance broker specialist to quote it out for you? Or did you just go to one or two insurance companies yourself?

We got quotes from a broker that TacAero uses for their tailwheel insurance, and also from AOPA. I'd expected AOPA would have shopped it around, but I only see a single underwriter offered, so maybe they don't. We'll do a more comprehensive job of shopping it around next time!

I guess I'll review the policy now too, maybe we can switch mid-year, if we could find a more cost-effective solution.

[cityrancher]

Chuck,
Who is the provider for your customer's plane? I would like to get a quote from them.
Ken

[Springloaded]

""

Chuck,
Who is the provider for your customer's plane? I would like to get a quote from them.
Ken

I’ll find out for you.

Dane
I would think your insurance would consider you as high of risk as your wife if your on the policy as a pilot with 0 tailwheel time, with 850 hrs and instrument rating your insurance doesn’t think that preventing a ground loop which Is usually what cost insurance companies with new TW pilots and cost a lot to fix. I assume your going to do the Tac training as well. These are cub pilots teaching you specifically how to fly these planes and I think insurance companies recognize that specific training.
Chuck

[David H]

For my EX-2 (which hopefully will take its first flight in a couple of months or less) I was just quoted:

With an agreed value of $160,000 and liability of $1,000,000 Each Occurrence limited to $100,000 Each Passenger their annual premium would be $4,091.00. They would cover the fly off period.

and:

Last of all is USAIG. Unfortunately they cannot cover the fly-off period however once this has been completed and the aircraft is officially signed off our underwriter indicated his premium level would be in the neighborhood of $2,800 - $3,000

What are others getting quoted for their EX or FX's?

Is anyone going with just liability insurance?

What kind of rate increase happens when I put on skis? or Floats??

I am private, instrument, commercial, tailwheel, >1200 hours, 10 hours in tailwheel.

Thank you,

David