Hello,
I am an aviation insurance broker. Currently, none of the aviation specific insurance companies are offering coverage for non-commercial use. There are now four of them that offer coverage for commercial operators (AIG Aerospace, Starr Aviation, Global Aerospace, and United States Specialty Insurance Company). Some of the companies require a FAA 333 Exemption and a pilots license. One of them does not require those items but only offer liability only. Their philosophy is that those requirements are between the operator and the FAA. The companies that offer "hull" and liability coverage generally require a pilot's license and the Exemption. As far as limits, I have written policies from $500K all the way up to $5M. If higher limits are needed, I am sure that can be negotiated. Aviation insurance does not work the same way as car insurance. You cannot go online and get a quote from a computer program. 90% of policies are submitted to an underwriter and negotiated on a case by case basis.
I recently read an article that stated their are now more registered UAVs in the US than manned aircraft. So, I anticipate that the aviation insurance companies will eventually offer coverage for non-commercial UAV operators. 325,000 registered UAVs in the US is too big of a market to be ignored.
Joe
