AVEMCO Insurance Company is the newest sponsor of the industry-wide BE A PILOT education and outreach effort to increase consumer understanding of personal flying and help bring more new people into aviation. AVEMCO has undertaken a $25,000 "Bronze" major sponsorship for 2004 to increase educational resources for better understanding of renter's insurance in non-owned aircraft operations.

"We're pleased to help support the BE A PILOT program, not only for its unprecedented consumer outreach to recruit potential new pilots, but also in its educational role on the benefits and requirements of personal flying," said Jim Lauerman, AVEMCO's executive vice-president and chief underwriter.

It is estimated that as many as 300,000 pilots fly in rented or borrowed airplanes without insurance coverage protecting themselves as the aircraft operator. In a change from typical business coverage decades ago, most insurance in effect for FBOs and flight schools today protects the aircraft owner and/or lessor, not the renting pilot.

Insurance First Topic of New Educational Features

New educational features on the BE A PILOT Web site (www.beapilot.com) will detail specialized topics of interest to aviation's potential new entrants, new student pilots and newly licensed aviators. The features will discuss a particular segment of the industry or a particular aspect of flying.

Insurance will be the first subject in this informative new series of educational themes in the BE A PILOT program. The Web site features will be educational, not commercial in nature-- although BE A PILOT sponsors active in that area of aviation will be featured.

For instance, the insurance subject will note those BE A PILOT sponsors (or their  affiliates) who provide renter's insurance, including both AVEMCO and BE A PILOT Platinum-level sponsor Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (re: its AOPA Insurance Agency, Inc.)

"Insurance is an important part of the aviation world, and it's an important consideration for any new pilot or student," said BE A PILOT chairman Jack Olcott (pictured right). "As a non-profit educational foundation, BE A PILOT can be informative in this area as it is about other factors involved in being a pilot."

"Insurance issues are among the toughest faced by flight schools today," said AVEMCO's Lauerman. 

"FBOs and flight schools could benefit if their renters understood the importance of non-owned aircraft policies.
 
"If everyone understands who's covered and how, then pilots, too, can be properly protected and enjoy the benefits of flying without risking a financial surprise."

FMI: www.beapilot.com, www.avemco.com