As pilots get older, insurance coverage for their airplanes gets more expensive and — sometimes — impossible to find. What’s behind that and why isn’t it age discrimination? An insurance expert gives the industry’s take on what’s going on.
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The best insurance advice for pilots and aircraft owners
It all comes down to two words: Always ask.
Young aviator maps out his future
South Carolina’s Caden McLain started his flight lessons at just 13, providing a challenge for his CFI. When he made his first solo, he had already logged 120 hours. With his sights set on flying big iron for UPS or FedEx, Caden says he got lucky having supportive parents. “And I have learned that no pilot is born with the skills you need. You have to work at it.”
Alaska vacation leads to internship for Florida twins
When Sean and Wells Muraskin vacationed in Alaska in the summer of 2021, the highlight of the trip was flying floatplanes with Terry Cartee of Acme Cub Training. But that’s nothing compared to the summer of 2022, when the twins will work as interns at the Alaska seaplane base, flying with Cartee and learning maintenance skills from Steve Williams after working during the day.
Never too early to live the dream
From mopping floors to instructing in the T-6 Texan at just 21 years old, Wes Atteberry proves that not only are there still motivated young people entering the field of aviation, but also that with enough perseverance, you can obtain the loftiest of dreams even from the most modest of beginnings.
To Infinity and beyond
The mission of the Infinity Aero Club Tampa Bay is to make learning to fly — as well as flying every day — affordable. It’s also reaching out to kids in socially and economically disadvantaged communities to make aviation more accessible. One of the club’s mottos says it all: “Fostering dreams 2 reality.”
Neighbors pitch in to grow aviation
Not every EAA chapter has the resources to have a youth aviation program, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help grow the next generation of pilots and mechanics.
What if filing PIREPs were easy?
A new app makes it quick, easy, and painless to file a PIREP. Think of it as Waze for pilots.
WaterWings: A fun learning experience
Getting your seaplane rating should be a fun experience, says Charles Welden, owner of WaterWings, a seaplane flight school near Birmingham, Alabama. “If you’re not having fun, then we have failed,” he says.