Originally Posted by
Dillon
Just trying to get an idea for the norm out there. For contract pilots- do you carry your own liability insurance? Do you present clients with a hold harmless agreement or something along the lines of if worst case scenario occurs you/your family can not be held personally liable? I haven't done much contract work and am wondering if it is worth dabbling in if I can be held personally liable for the dreaded "pilot error" verdict. If the aircraft has liability insurance and I fit the bill for the pilot requirements on the policy, is this sufficient?
Well, you can get your own liability insurance, which for a pilot will be very expensive.
Two other things you can do, which are more simple but require cooperation from other entities.
1) Make sure you are
protected under the aircraft insurance policy. This is different than being an
approved pilot. You can be protected if you are added as a named insured on the aircraft policy. "Approved" protects the owner/operator only in that you possess the requirements to pilot the airplane--being approved does not extend to protecting you...it protects the owner/operator. Being protected will protect the pilot from personal liability from damage to caused to other people/property.
2)Obtain a Waiver of Subrogation from the Insurer. Ordinarily, if an insurer makes a payout to another party due to a pilots negligence/fault, the insurer can turn around and sue the pilot to recover what it paid out to the other party. The Waiver of Subrogation is a promise that the insurance company will not turn around and come after the pilot to recover a payout. This will protect the pilot from liability from damage caused to the aircraft itself.
As always, insurance is very complex. Make sure you speak with a professional---I'd start with the aircraft insurer.