AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2018 - 102

NEWS & NOTES

MEMBER SERVICES

INSURANCE |

Life is short, buy the airplane

BY JIM PINEGAR

AOPA Insurance Services

One tip for all buyers

I REMEMBER WHEN I DECIDED TO purchase
my first airplane. Quite frankly, I was scared
to death with all the possibilities and what
seemed like a never-ending list of "to-dos."
Thank goodness for all the resources AOPA
provides, covering topics such as prebuy
inspections, nuances of certain makes and
models, and expected performance specs.
But when it comes to insurance, when I'm
asked what's one important tip-well, that's
easy: Ask for an insurance quote before you
sign a contract.
Why, you might ask? When I was
shopping, I found a fantastic deal on a
retractable-gear airplane. Luckily, I called

the insurance agency and had a conversation that gave me the information I needed
to make a decision. At that time, I had just
finished my private ticket and flown less
than 45 hours, and of course zero hours in a
retractable. Because of my inexperience, the
insurance on a retractable was nearly triple
that of the nice Cessna 172 I later purchased.
Additionally, some aircraft are very hard
to insure unless they are flown by very experienced pilots. Making a quick 10-minute call
can give you crucial information needed for
your next purchase.
Knowing the expected annual insurance
costs not only helps with budgeting, but also

allowed me to choose the aircraft suited for
my needs. Best of all, spend the insurance
savings on something more fun-fuel for
flying!
Whether you own or rent, AOPA has the
right insurance coverage to fit your budget
and needs. The AOPA Insurance Agency
offers knowledgeable agents who speak your
language and understand your unique flying
and insurance requirements.
JIM PINEGAR is vice president of finance

and administration for AOPA Insurance
Services.

www.aopainsurance.org

LEGALLY SPEAKING |

Parachutes not required

Regardless of the certificate or rating being sought
B Y C H A D M AY E R
PARACHUTES ARE REQUIRED BY FAR
Part 91.307(c) for maneuvers exceeding 60
degrees of bank or 30 degrees nose-up or
nose-down attitude, unless an exception
applies. FAR 91.307(d)(2) states that the
above does not apply to "spins and other
flight maneuvers required by the regulations for any certificate or rating when given
by "(i) A certificated flight instructor." The
question is, does this exception to the parachute requirement apply only when training
for a certificate that requires spins, such as
the flight instructor certificate?
The FAA's office of the chief counsel recently addressed this question in the
Fitzpatrick-Spartan College interpretation.
The interpretation acknowledged that there
is some ambiguity in the language, stating
"[s]ome parties have interpreted this
subsection to mean that unless the certificate or rating being sought requires spin

102 | AOPA PILOT September 2018

training, a parachute is required." Relying
on the express language of the original 1964
rulemaking in addition to the text of the regulation itself, the interpretation reaches the
conclusion that regardless of the certificate
or rating currently sought, parachutes are
not required for spin training given by a CFI
because spin training is required for at least
one certificate. The flight school raised the
question because it holds dual certification
with the FAA as a Part 141 operation and with
the Civil Aviation Administration of China
which, unlike the FAA, requires spin training
for commercial pilots. The spin training was
included in the school's FAA-approved training curriculum for commercial pilots, and
the school's request for the legal interpretation specifically referenced spin training
as part of its Part 141 flight training operations. However, there is no language in the
FAA's interpretation limiting the resulting

guidance to Part 141 operations, so on its face
it appears to apply equally to training under
Part 61 and Part 141.
CHAD MAYER is an in-house attorney with

AOPA's Legal Services Plan who counsels
plan members daily. He is a commercial
pilot, a remote pilot with sUAS rating, and
an advanced/instrument ground instructor.

www.aopa.org/pps

AOPA AVIATION FINANCE
You finally found your perfect aircraft,
but find there are inspections and paperwork prior to any sale. Who pays for what
as the purchase proceeds? AOPA Aviation
Finance President Adam Meredith answers
in his latest column.
www.aopa.org/pilot/inspections18

http://www.aopainsurance.org http://www.aopa.org/pps http://www.aopa.org/pilot/inspections18

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2018