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Aviation & Drones · California

Coverage that clears for takeoff.

Insurance for aircraft owners, renter pilots, flight schools, hangars and aviation businesses, plus commercial drone operators.

By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed November 2026 · How this page is researched

Get a Quote Call (877) 711-4545

How it works

A specialty market with its own rules

Aviation insurance is written by specialty aviation markets. For aircraft owners it combines hull coverage for damage to the aircraft with liability for passengers and people on the ground. Renter pilots can carry non-owned aircraft liability, and aviation businesses need premises, hangarkeepers and products coverage.

Pilot experience, ratings and hours drive underwriting as much as the aircraft does. Commercial drone operators need liability, and often hull coverage for the drone and payload. I place aviation and drone coverage through aviation specialty markets.

HullPhysical damage to the aircraft, in flight and on the ground.
LiabilityPassengers and third parties, including property damage.
Non-owned aircraftLiability for pilots who rent or borrow aircraft.
DronesLiability and equipment for commercial drone work.

Who I help

Clients that call me

Private aircraft owners

Single and multi-engine aircraft.

Renter pilots

Non-owned aircraft liability.

Flight schools and clubs

Training aircraft and instructors.

Hangars and FBOs

Premises and hangarkeepers liability.

Commercial drone operators

Photography, mapping and inspection.

Aviation businesses

Maintenance shops and charter. See details

Before you call

What underwriters will ask

Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.

Start the Quote Form

Aircraft: year, make, model and value.
Pilots: ratings, total and make-and-model hours.
Use: personal, business, instruction or rental.
Base: home airport and hangared or tied down.
Drones: models, operations and Part 107 certification.
History: current policies, claims and incidents.

Charter and air taxi: the federal insurance floor

If you fly passengers or cargo as an air taxi operator or commuter air carrier, two federal rule sets apply. The FAA says air transportation takes a pilot with a commercial or airline transport pilot certificate, flying under the rules for that operation, such as Part 135, and employed by the certificate holder that has operational control of the flight (or holding a Part 119 certificate). The Department of Transportation's 14 CFR Part 205 then sets the minimum aircraft accident liability insurance.

Air taxi, third parties (205.5(c)): $75,000 per person and $300,000 per involved aircraft per occurrence for bodily injury or death, plus at least $100,000 per occurrence for property damage.
Air taxi, passengers: $75,000 per passenger, and per aircraft per occurrence $75,000 times 75 percent of the installed passenger seats. The rule's own example: a 16-seat aircraft written on a combined single limit needs at least $1,300,000.
Commuter and other direct air carriers (205.5(b)): third-party bodily injury and property damage of $300,000 per person and $20,000,000 per aircraft per occurrence, or $2,000,000 for aircraft of not more than 60 seats or 18,000 pounds maximum payload. Passengers add $300,000 per passenger, and $300,000 times 75 percent of the seats per aircraft.
Proof on file (205.4): the certificate of insurance goes on OST Form 6410. Endorsements adding or deleting aircraft are filed within 30 days of their effective date, and an aircraft can't be listed in your operations specifications or flown unless liability coverage is in force.
No escape hatches (205.6, 205.7): a warranty or exclusion can't remove the required coverage unless the Department approves, though the insurer can still recover from the carrier. The policy can't exclude violations of safety rules, and cancelling or reducing coverage takes effect only 10 days after the Department actually receives written notice.

On a charter or air taxi account, I check the certificate against these terms and that coverage starts by the proposed starting date in your application (205.3(b)).

How aircraft hull coverage is built

Hull is the physical damage part of an aircraft policy, and it can also be written as its own policy. IRMI notes aircraft policies aren't standardized and vary widely, so the wording matters more than the label. Here's how IRMI describes the usual structure:

Valued basis: the aircraft's value is set when the policy starts and scheduled on the policy. A total loss pays that scheduled value less the deductible, and a partial loss generally pays no more than the scheduled value. Revisit the number when you add avionics or overhaul an engine.
In motion and not in motion: hull is often split this way. "All risks, not in motion" applies on the ground while the aircraft isn't moving under its own power, including while it's pushed or towed. A taxiing aircraft counts as in motion.
Named perils or all risks: either basis is possible. Ask which one your quote uses.
Exclusions to expect: conversion or embezzlement, wear and tear, mechanical breakdown, electrical failure, and turbine engine damage from heat during operation or shutdown.
Deductible: it varies by insurer, aircraft type and age.

A practical case: if the airplane sits through a long annual or a storage season and you drop to not-in-motion coverage, a taxi to the run-up area falls outside that definition. Check your policy's wording and restore in-motion coverage before anyone taxis it. Drones are written differently; see drone insurance.

Pilot warranties, and what renters carry

Most aircraft policies limit who may fly through a pilot warranty. IRMI describes two kinds:

Named pilot warranty: the policy lists the pilots by name, and no one else is permitted to operate the aircraft.
Open pilot warranty: the policy describes qualifications instead, such as certificate type, ratings and hours, usually with the owner's own as the minimum. Any pilot who meets or exceeds them may fly. IRMI calls the open version preferable.

Before a partner, family member or instructor flies your airplane, check which kind you have and whether that pilot qualifies, and tell me before the flight, not after.

If you rent

Renter policies are built in parts. In one carrier's published non-owned aircraft form (Avemco POL0002), Coverage A is bodily injury and property damage liability to others, and Coverage B, aircraft damage liability, is a separate part for damage to the rented aircraft that you're legally liable for. That form is excess over any other insurance available to you, and it excludes flights for a commercial purpose. So I ask what your rental agreement makes you responsible for before I quote.

How a flight is arranged also matters. The FAA warns about the "sham dry lease": one or more parties acting together to supply both the aircraft and at least one crewmember to a passenger. Those flights may be illegal charters. Tell me how flights actually work so the use declared on your policy matches.

Hangarkeepers and airport premises liability

If you store, maintain or repair other people's aircraft, your own hull coverage is written for your described aircraft, and IRMI notes standard commercial general liability forms generally exclude claims arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of aircraft. The aviation pieces are separate:

Hangarkeepers liability: damage to or destruction of other people's aircraft held for storage, maintenance or protection, at the location covered by the policy. List every place you keep customer aircraft.
Airport premises liability: an additional coverage on an aircraft liability policy for bodily injury or property damage arising out of using airport premises to park and store aircraft.
Combined aviation policies: some insurers combine aircraft liability and hull with aircraft products liability, airport liability, land-based general liability and hangarkeepers coverage.

An airport's lease, permit or minimum standards can set the limits. One California example: Los Angeles County's minimum standards for Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, adopted October 30, 2012, and still posted by the County. For a fixed base operator they list $2,000,000 commercial general liability, $1,000,000 vehicular liability, $1,000,000 hangar keeper's liability where it applies, and $1,000,000 aircraft and passenger liability with a $100,000 per-person sublimit. The hangar keeper's figure is a recommended minimum; the actual amount is based on the largest aircraft accommodated. General liability must include premises, products and completed operations and name the County and the airport manager as additional insureds. Other airports set their own numbers, so send me your lease and I'll compare quotes against it.

Questions

Aviation insurance, answered

Do renter pilots need their own insurance?

The FBO's policy protects the FBO first and may not protect you. Non-owned aircraft liability covers the renter pilot.

What affects aircraft insurance cost?

Aircraft value and type, pilot ratings and hours, use and claims history.

Do commercial drone operators need insurance?

Clients and venues commonly require liability coverage, and many operators insure the drone and payload too.

Is hull coverage agreed value?

Aircraft hull policies are commonly written on an agreed value basis. I'll confirm how each quote works.

Can a private pilot split flight costs with passengers?

Yes, within limits. Under 14 CFR 61.113(c), as the FAA explains it, a private pilot may share operating expenses with passengers on a pro rata basis when they involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures or rental fees, with a bona fide common purpose and no holding out to the public.

Does a flight school need instructor liability coverage?

It depends on the airport and your contracts. Whiteman Airport's minimum standards in Los Angeles County, for example, list $1,000,000 CFI professional liability for aircraft rental and flight training providers, required if such coverage is readily available, covering bodily injury and property damage during and after dual instruction.

Do you offer aviation insurance outside California?

Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.

Official sources

Often placed alongside this

Coverage

General liability insurance

Coverage for injuries and damage your business causes others.

See coverage Coverage

Tools and equipment insurance

Inland marine coverage for tools, equipment and materials.

See coverage Coverage

Commercial umbrella insurance

Extra liability limits over business auto, liability and employer's liability.

See coverage

Also covered with this: Drone insurance Film production insurance Photographer insurance

By state: Insurance requirements by state

Aviation insurance

Tell me about the aircraft. I'll shop it.

The aircraft, pilot hours and use are enough to start.

Get a Quote Call (877) 711-4545

Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Some policies may be placed with nonadmitted (surplus lines) insurers, which are not members of the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA).

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