Insurance for Hurricane Avoidance
With hurricane season underway through November, it’s time to create a hurricane plan for your aircraft if you live in or travel to hurricane-prone areas. Your plan should include strategies to relocate your aircraft away from the path of an approaching storm if it can be done safely prior to the storm’s arrival.
When you develop your plan, include a review of your insurance policy to see if it covers any costs for relocating your aircraft. Some policies cover the cost of hiring an evacuation pilot, and aircraft storage. Other policies will only reimburse the policyholder to relocate their aircraft outside of a hurricane watch or warning area.
If you are faced with relocating your aircraft due to a hurricane, AOPA’s Strategic Partner for aviation insurance, AssuredPartners Aerospace, offers the following tips to make the process go more smoothly:
When choosing a relocation airport, make sure you select airports…
- out of the hurricane watch or warning area; the terms of any relocation coverage in your policy will dictate the allowed distance.
- located comfortably within the range of your aircraft.
- with temporary hangar or tiedown space available.
- that have airline service or rental car availability to get you and/or your evacuation pilot back home.
If your plan includes an evacuation pilot to fly your aircraft, make sure you check your policy. It will specify the minimum qualifications required for the evacuation pilot. For many common single-engine aircraft, it may be stated as "private pilot or better" and when looking for pilots in your area, check flight schools and aviation colleges, as well as local airports.
For more information, or to set up a free review of your policy, contact AssuredPartners Aerospace or call (800) 622-2672.
