Private Aviation Insurance

Aircraft, Pilot & Private Market Coverage / Custom, Not Captive

Whether you fly a single-engine piston on weekends, manage a turbine aircraft for your business, or operate a flight school, the right private aviation insurance protects an asset most policies were never written to handle. Direct Service Insurance places aircraft insurance for owners, pilots, partnerships, and flight operations across California, Arizona, Idaho, and Texas - matching your aircraft, your hours, and your mission to carriers who actually understand aviation risk.

We are an independent agency, not a captive one. That means we shop the private aviation market on your behalf rather than fitting you into a single carrier's box.

Contact a Direct Service Insurance agent to discuss private aviation insurance solutions at 805-641-0422.

Aviation Insurance Coverage We Place

Aircraft Hull Insurance

Physical damage coverage for your aircraft itself. Hull insurance can be written in-motion (covering flight, taxi, and ground operations), not-in-motion, or as ground risk hull only - useful for aircraft in long-term storage, annual inspection, or restoration. We help you set an agreed value that reflects what your airframe, avionics, and engine are actually worth, so a total loss doesn't turn into a negotiation.

Aviation Liability Insurance

Third-party bodily injury and property damage protection arising from ownership or operation of your aircraft. Aviation liability insurance is typically written with a combined single limit, and may include passenger liability - an important distinction, since some policies sublimit or exclude passenger coverage entirely. We review those limits with you before you sign.

Private Pilot Insurance

Coverage built around the pilot, not just the airframe. This includes owner-flown policies, open pilot warranty review, and named-pilot endorsements. Pilot qualifications - total time, time in type, ratings, and recurrent training - drive both eligibility and premium, so we work with you to present your experience to underwriters accurately.

Non-Owned Aircraft Insurance & Renters Insurance

If you rent, borrow, or fly a club aircraft, the aircraft owner's policy generally does not protect you. Non-owned aircraft insurance (also called aircraft renters insurance) covers your liability exposure and your responsibility for damage to an aircraft you don't own. Essential for renter pilots, flying club members, and pilots building time toward a rating.

Commercial & Business Aircraft Insurance

Corporate flight departments, charter operators, fractional owners, and business aircraft under Part 91 or Part 135 have exposures a personal policy won't touch. We place business aircraft insurance with attention to crew requirements, passenger limits, and contractual insurance obligations from lessors and lenders.

Hangar Keepers Liability & Airport Operations

For FBOs, maintenance shops, flight schools, and hangar operators: hangar keepers liability insurance covers damage to aircraft in your care, custody, and control. We also place aviation premises liability, aviation products liability, and coverage for flight training operations and ground handling.

Specialty & Private Market Aviation Risks

Aircraft that fall outside standard underwriting still need coverage. We work the private aviation market and surplus lines for:

• Experimental and homebuilt aircraft insurance
• Vintage, antique, and warbird aircraft insurance
• Helicopter and rotorcraft insurance
• Seaplane and amphibious aircraft insurance
• Agricultural aviation and aerial application
• Aircraft partnerships and co-ownership arrangements
• Low-time and transitioning pilots
• Aircraft in restoration or extended maintenance

Who We Insure

Direct Service Insurance writes private aviation insurance for:

• Individual aircraft owners flying for personal and business travel
• Pilots - private, instrument-rated, commercial, and CFIs
• Renter and club pilots needing non-owned aircraft coverage
• Aircraft partnerships and LLCs with multiple named pilots
• Flight schools and flight training operations
• FBOs, hangar operators, and maintenance facilities
• Corporate flight departments and business aircraft operators
• Aircraft lessors and lienholders requiring proof of coverage

Why Aircraft Owners Work With Direct Service Insurance

Independent, not captive. We're not obligated to one carrier's aviation program. We market your risk across multiple aviation underwriters and bring you options.

We speak aviation. Agreed value versus actual cash value. Open pilot warranty. In-motion versus not-in-motion hull. Sublimits on passenger liability. These are the details that decide whether a claim pays, and we walk through every one with you before binding.

Multi-state licensing. We write in California, Arizona, Idaho, and Texas, with local service in Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.

We handle the paperwork. Lienholder certificates, additional insured endorsements, hangar lease requirements, and flight school insurance verifications - we turn these around fast so your aircraft isn't sitting.

What Affects Your Aviation Insurance Premium

Aircraft insurance rates are underwritten differently than auto or home. The factors that move your premium most:

• Pilot experience - total time, time in make and model, ratings held
• Recurrent training - annual simulator or type-specific training often earns credit
• Aircraft type and value - piston, turboprop, turbine, rotorcraft
• Use - personal, business, flight instruction, charter, or aerial work
• Hangar versus tie-down storage
• Claims and incident history
• Liability limits and hull value selected

If you're a low-time pilot or stepping into a higher-performance aircraft, talk to us early. There are often training paths that make you insurable at a far better rate.

Frequently Asked Questions About Private Aviation Insurance

Does my homeowners or business policy cover my aircraft? No. Standard homeowners, auto, and commercial general liability policies exclude aircraft ownership and operation. Aviation exposures require a dedicated aircraft insurance policy.

What is an open pilot warranty? It's the minimum pilot qualifications your policy requires for coverage to apply - typically stated as total hours, hours in make and model, and ratings. If someone flies your aircraft who doesn't meet those minimums, coverage can be denied. We review this clause on every policy.

Do I need aircraft insurance if I only rent? Yes, if you want to be protected. The aircraft owner's or FBO's policy is written to protect them, not you. Non-owned aircraft insurance covers your personal liability and your obligation for damage to the rented aircraft.

What's the difference between agreed value and actual cash value? Agreed value means the insurer pays the stated hull value on a total loss - no depreciation argument. Actual cash value means they pay depreciated market value. For most aircraft owners, agreed value is worth the premium difference.

Can you insure an experimental or homebuilt aircraft? Often, yes. Experimental aircraft insurance is available through the private aviation market, though pilot qualifications and build documentation matter more than they do on certified aircraft.

Do you cover flight schools and CFIs? Yes. We place flight school insurance, aircraft used for instruction, and CFI liability coverage.

How quickly can I get an aviation insurance quote? We can typically start the quoting process the same day. Have your aircraft details (make, model, year, N-number, hull value) and pilot information (total time, time in type, ratings, medical) ready and we'll move quickly.

Get an Aviation Insurance Quote

Tell us what you fly and how you fly it, and we'll shop the private aviation market for you.

Contact a Direct Service Insurance agent to discuss private aviation insurance solutions at 805-641-0422.