As deliveries of very light jets (VLJs) begin, concerns that they might be difficult to insure have almost evaporated. Manufacturers have had the chance to brief underwriters in depth about their models’ designs, performance characteristics and systems. As underwriters’ understanding of VLJs has improved, the companies have become reasonably comfortable with a class of aircraft whose insurability was an industry-wide concern three years ago.
Now that the basic VLJ insurability question is all but settled, underwriters are focusing on an area they see as crucial to determining the coverage to provide for a given aircraft, its operator and its manufacturer: the levels of experience and proficiency present in the cockpit. Single-pilot owner-operators probably will represent a major market for VLJs, so underwriters will look particularly at the level and quality of pilot training each manufacturer provides in pricing hull and liability coverage for such buyers.
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