ABS Fly-In Savannah, Georgia, May 16-19 See Page 3 - American ...

Congratulations to these ABS memberswho have earned ABS AVIATOR status.To participate, send copies of your trainingcertificates to absmail@bonanza.org,or fax (316) 945-1710 attn: ABS AVIATOR.Level 1Jay FlintonOklahoma City, OklahomaDavid OlesonOuting, MinnesotaLevel 2Grant HaddixKaty, TexasLevel 3Kent StonesLebanon, KansasLevel 4Bud HoffnerChesterfield, MissouriWalt EismannOrlando, FloridaLevel 5Michael CarmichaelGulf Stream, FloridaLevel 6 Lifetime ABSMaster AviatorsKeith RutherfordBossier City, LouisianaLarry NoeNew York City, New YorkCorrection to the Level 6Lifetime ABS Master Aviatorlist in the January 2013 issue:We misspelled the name ofDan Holsapple of Louisville, Kentucky.We apologize for our error, andcongratulations again, Dan.www.bonanza.orgcould otherwise be considered atotal loss. You may want it totaled,but if it is substantially over in -sured, the carrier may insist on arepair. That may mean manymonths of repair time and, in theend, you will have an aircraft witha damage history. Stay current and try to fly at least 75to 100 hours per year. Make it a pointto get annual recurrent training,i.e. BPPP (Live or Online+Flight) oranother training source approvedby your insurance carrier, which canyield extra discounts. Adding an instrument rating can bea big plus with most carriers. If youhave added other ratings (even ifthey do not apply to your airplane),inform your agent. Many companiesgive rate reductions for additionalratings even if they don’t apply toyour current airplane. The airport where you base yourairplane and whether your airplaneis hangared or tied out affect yourpremium, so keep your agent informed.If you base your airplaneat a turf strip, you may pay moredepending on the type of aircraft. The number of pilots named andtheir qualifications also affect thecost. If you have three pilots namedon your insurance and one isn’tflying your airplane, take him/heroff. If you have a pilot that flies onlyon an incidental basis, that pilot maymeet the minimum requirementsof the open pilot warranty and notneed to be listed on the policy as anamed pilot. If you’ve had an airplane accident orincident in the past five years (andmost aviation insurance companieswill ask if you have ever had a loss orviolation) this information must bedisclosed when your agent securesinsurance quotes for you. You canreduce the impact of past losses byproviding all the facts. If you giveonly a sketchy overview, it leaves theinsurance company to draw its ownconclusion as to what happened,and why. The amount of liability coverageyou carry has a direct affect on thepremium. If you never carry passengers,then you may consider carryingless coverage. We do not recommendcutting back on your liability just tosave a few premium dollars. Younever want to risk a lot of exposurefor a little premium savings. Work with an agent who has thecontacts to get you the best rates.Aviation Insurance Specialists haveaccess to more insurance carrierswho write aircraft, so will end upgetting you a better deal. Make surethe agent solicits quotes from all ofthe markets every year.In addition, many underwriters offerdiscounts for Technically AdvancedAircraft, or aircraft that have TCASor similar safety enhancements.Certain carriers offer discounts forassociation memberships, so be sureto advise your agent that you are acurrent ABS member and any otheraviation associations of which youmay be a member.The key to making sure you getthe right insurance is to work closelywith your chosen agent. At Falcon,we pride ourselves on making sureeach and every client receives detailedattention in order to provide them withbroad insurance coverage that fitstheir needs at a competitive premium.John Allen is president andowner of Falcon InsuranceAgency, which he founded in1979 in Austin, Texas. Falconnow has 12 offices across thecountry employing over 90 full-time aviationinsurance professionals. Prior to enteringthe aviation insurance industry as anunderwriter for USAIG, John served inthe United States Air Force as a pilot.44 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY FEBRUARY 2013