PREMIUM ON SAFETY IN THIS ISSUE
ISSUE 54 | FALL 2025
What’s Really Behind Your Hangar Door? 4 When the Unthinkable Happens 8 Business Aviation Crisis Response 10 Plus: Quiz Yourself on Runway Excursion Prevention
Evolving or Drifting?
What Makes a Flight Department a Risk Worth Insuring?
PAUL RATTÉ USAIG Safety Programs
KEVIN KOVARIK USAIG SVP; Head, General Aviation Underwriting
reek philosopher Heraclitus noted that change is the only constant. Think a minute about how the organization you y or work in di ers today from when you arrived. More’s likely changed than you usually pay much attention to. Big things stand out: a new aircraft, leader or business line. But subtle shifts like time- or resource-saving re nements, new tools, tech, ‘work smarter’ ideas, customer suggestions adopted, or new hires joining the team often don’t get much consideration. But all these things (and more) modify the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of the work being done. If Heraclitus is right that no organization is static, are you evolving or drifting?
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s North America’s oldest aviation insurer, USAIG is an industry leader in partnering with ight departments that value safety, professionalism, and continuous improvement. We look to insure organizations that share a safety mindset and see value in a long-term relationship with an insurer that does more than just respond to claims. Our team o ers risk management support, contractual review, emergency response planning, and regular engagement to promote operational safety.
For a non-aviation example, let’s say a bakery renown for its bread brings on a new baker. He’s taught the doughmaking procedure: certain ingredients get warmed to speci c temps before items are then added in a set order, with several interim mixing and kneading stages. This baker has made dough more simply in prior jobs and, when falling behind in his tasks some weeks later, he skips the pre-warming and just blends everything at once in one kneading. The nished bread
A common refrain we’ve heard over the years is: “If the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says I am legal, why is that not acceptable to insurers?” It’s a fair question, but it stems from a fundamental misunderstanding. FAA regulations and your aviation insurance policy are two entirely separate frameworks, each with its own priorities and risk assessments. While the FAA sets baseline legal requirements to protect the public, insurers evaluate risk through a di erent lens rooted in liability, actuarial data, and nancial exposure. For insurers, the nancial exposure is potentially in the hundreds of millions of dollars for each and every ight. For this reason, being
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The departments that capture our attention aren’t necessarily the biggest or most well-funded, but the ones that are engaged, informed, and always strive to do better. When a ight department invites us in and says, “How can we improve?” we know we’ve found an operator that shares our collaborative mindset and is ready to di erentiate itself from others. There are some who believe getting insurance on their eet is just “checking a box,” but communication and trust are critical in the aviation industry, and insurance plays a vital role in the safety of the aviation community as a whole. FAA PILOT QUALIFICATIONS ≠ INSURABILITY
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