Letter to the Editor

This post shows how quickly you can lull yourself into a false sense of security and, for once, spells out the fine print of insurance policies in big, bold letters.

When I started flying three years ago, I took a few precautions purely as a preventive measure. One of them, for example, was to mount a clearly visible “L” on the antenna of my transmitter to protect my new companions. I also checked with my insurance agent to see if my personal liability coverage was sufficient. He replied that damages were covered as long as no separate liability insurance was required by law. All clear, since I was able to purchase my flying Styrofoam contraption from a specialty retailer without any problems or warnings. Nor did any fellow pilots or the club ever mention any legal liability requirements to me. And so, one day, the unthinkable happened. Through an extremely frustrating chain of events, I used my transmitter to bring a beautiful tow plane down for a crash landing in a field (... sorry, Roman).

But luckily, I’m insured… or so I thought! The insurance company did investigate the accident, but then declined to cover the claim because my model airplane weighs more than 500 g.

... and indeed: Article 20 of the Ordinance on Special Categories of Aircraft states that liability coverage is not required for model aircraft weighing less than 0.5 kg. In plain English, this means that for models weighing 500 g or more, a separate liability insurance policy is mandatory.

It’s not all that bad, though, because through the model flying club and the aeroclub, you’re ultimately covered under group policy 2.321.121 for damages not covered by personal liability insurance… or so you’d think! Here, too, the insurance won’t pay because the injured party was in the air with their model... . Now I really hope that this article has shaken some pilots out of their false sense of security. That way, I can still take something positive from this annoying incident.

Happy Landing!

Markus Michel
michel.family@bluewin.ch