Related questions
How much does pilot insurance cost?
Pilot insurance depends on the type of aircraft, flying and experience of the pilots along with many other factors.
For private pilot, low use, with low value hull it pilot insurance would cost circa £1,500 for a year. In contract, a flying school looking for comprehensive cover for full aircraft replacement would be around £4,000 per year.
Do pilots have a future?
Although COVID 19 has torn apart the aviation industry, it looks like there are pockets of pilot shortages starting to show up. Over Easter weekend in 2021, the news that certain US airlines had to cancel flights due to crew shortages was well publicised.
The human population will always want to travel and with the world population growing each year, there is and will continue to be an increasing demand for air travel. As other developing countries grow their middle class who can afford to fly, that further will drive demand for pilots.
The other threat facing pilots is being phased out by automation. I believe we are still a long way (from a certification standpoint) and the general public being comfortable flying an aircraft without a pilot.
With all these factors put together, there will continue to be strong demand for pilots (once we get over COVID 19!)
What are the risks of being a pilot?
- Health problems: The unfriendly hours can take a toll on the body
- Ionising radiation: More still needs to be learnt about the risks of sitting at 40,000feet for 8-12 hours a day
- Jet lag: The stress on the body, particularly for long haul pilots, can take its toll when jumping from one time zone to the other
- Job stress: Being a pilot involves very intense periods of concentration, with the ultimate responsibility of a safe flight falling on the captain. This, coupled with 6 monthly checks and regular medical examination, means that pilots are always literally 6 months away from losing their job if they fail a given exam. This can cause a lot of stress.
- Noise/ hearing loss: The constant chatter on the radios and the engines’ drone, particularly in older aircraft, can cause noise-induced hearing loss.
- Chronic fatigue: The punishing schedules and unsocial hours and stress (including job security-related stress) can lead to pilots suffering from chronic fatigue.
- Mental health
- Obesity: Constantly being away from home and the unsocial working hours can make it challenging to eat well and have healthy food and exercise habits. It does not help that being a pilot mainly costs sitting in a confined space for hours.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on any experiences you have had with pilot life insurance/ loss of licence insurance. Please leave a comment in the section below, and I will reply as soon as I can!
Kudzi Chikohora is a B737 Captain and Line Training Captain (LTC) with over 5,000 hours of flying in Europe. He is also a qualified Type Rating Instructor (TRI). He holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, is a chartered engineer, and is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Kudzi completed his pilot training via the self-funded modular route and created kcthepilot.com to share honest, experience-based guidance on pilot training and aviation.
