aircraft - search results

If the aircraft you own augers in, how can you limit your liability exposure? Does it help to create a corporation or LLC to own the aircraft? What are the liability ramifications if you leaseback your plane? What if you lend or rent the aircraft to someone else and they crash, or commit some violation...are you still liable? Does it matter what state you live in, or where the crash occurs? How can you protect yourself and your assets? AVweb's aviation law guru offers answers to these and a host of other questions that every aircraft owner, operator and pilot will want to read, then print out and save.

If you rent, charter, borrow, test-fly, ferry, instruct in, or take instruction in an aircraft that you do not own, you very well might need "non-owned aircraft" liability insurance. Darrell Hyde of CS&A Aviation Insurance explains the various kinds of coverage available, what it costs, and when you need it.

While homebuilt aircraft have been the fastest-growing segment of aviation during the 1980s and 1990s, some predict that homebuilt aircraft liability litigation will be a growth industry of the next decade. Accidents like the 1997 Long-EZ crash that killed John Denver raise thorny questions about who's legally liable: the kit manufacturer, amateur builder, or pilot? Can a kit manufacturer or amateur builder escape liability by means of a waiver or disclaimer? Is a homebuilt covered by the GARA 18-year statute of repose? AVweb's aviation law editor Phil Kolczynski sorts through this thicket and offers some concrete suggestions.

Maintenance logs are required to prove compliance with regulations, but do you have to have them when you sell the plane? If not, what will happen to the price you get for the plane? And, therefore, will you get compensation from your insurance company if the logs are lost or destroyed? Think again.

Most aircraft owners don't read their insurance policies until after they have a loss. Then, they're often shocked to discover that their loss isn't covered, although they were sure it would be. Aviation insurance experts Tom Chappell and Darrell Hyde review some of the most common misconceptions about coverage, and tell you what to look for in the fine print.

If you buy a plane and then put it on the flight line at a flight school or charter outfit -- or have it operated by an aircraft management company -- who takes out the insurance policy? The answer is different depending on several factors you may not have thought about.

The average GA airplane is now more than 35 years old. The FAA believes this represents a significant threat to safety, but most owner associations and type clubs disagree.

Although they don't have the visibility or prestige of an airline captain, aircraft dispatchers are, legally, just as responsible for planning a successful airline flight as the captain. And dispatchers get some of the airline perks, too.

It's always nice if you can find the aircraft you're looking for close to home. But in today's difficult used aircraft market, you'll almost certainly have to look farther afield. In fact, today's serious American buyer needs to be prepared to consider aircraft located anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. This means doing a lot more homework before travelling long distances to look at that alleged cream puff. There are some extra "gotchas" involved in buying a Canadian aircraft and re-registering it in the United States.

Thinking about buying a cheap "fixer-upper" and sprucing it up with new paint and interior, and maybe some fancy new state-of-the-art avionics? That might not be such a smart move, warns AVweb's Brian Jacobson, because only a fraction of what you invest in such a refurbishment project will be reflected in higher market value. Unless you're sure you'll be keeping the aircraft for the next decade, says Jacobson, you'll almost always be better off paying a higher price for one that meets your needs without major upgrades.