Managing risk is one of your Drone Liability Insurance as a drone pilot.
You’ll learn how to properly fly your drone with the right instruction as well as plenty (and lots and lots) of practice on the ground.
The unfortunate truth is that accidents can still occur, regardless of how skilled you are as a pilot and despite the fact that you’ve used all best practices to manage risk, such as using a visual observer, securing appropriate airspace authorizations, creating and adhering to a pre-flight checklist, etc.
Drone insurance isn’t a good fit for everyone.
You might not necessarily need to get a $1 million Drone Liability Insurance coverage if you’re just flying a toy drone (less than $300 USD) for fun in your backyard or at a nearby model aircraft field!
However, purchasing drone insurance is a wise choice if you’re conducting business, flying on behalf of your company, or flying for some type of non-recreational purpose where another stakeholder may be involved. rugbyqa.com will provide for you types of drone insurance include drone liability insurance, hull, etc in this post.
IS DRONE INSURANCE REQUIRED BY LAW?
Drone Liability Insurance
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not currently require drone insurance for either recreational or commercial drone operation if you reside in the United States.
Interestingly, there are unique insurance needs dependent on aircraft if you reside in Minnesota. In our list of drone laws, you can find more details regarding state-by-state drone rules.
Of course, there are certain other factors to take into account even if insurance is not required by law.
When dealing with a larger corporation that mandates insurance for all of its contractors or when applying for a city film permit, you may occasionally need a minimum level of insurance coverage in order to take on a project.
And like we said at the introduction, you might want to consider lowering your liability exposure if you’re using a drone for any kind of non-recreational purpose.
Drone insurance is reasonably priced and provides a lot of peace of mind.
TYPES OF DRONE INSURANCE (DRONE LIABILITY INSURANCE, HULL, ETC.)
The following are the top two categories of drone insurance:
I. Drone Liability Insurance
Drone Liability InsuranceDrone Liability Insurance functions similarly to standard auto insurance in protecting you from third-party claims of property damage or injury, such as when your drone inadvertently crashes into a building or another person’s car, or even worse, when you are sued for paying for someone else’s medical expenses.
Naturally, there are different levels of Drone Liability Insurance, so be sure to read the fine print of your particular policy to determine whether things like carelessness or privacy invasion claims will be covered.
Limits for Drone Liability Insurance policies normally start at $500,000 and can be negotiated up to the amount needed by the company, its operations, or clients; limits of $10,000,000 per incident are not unheard of in UAS insurance.
II. Hull Insurance
“Hull” coverage is usually the next type of insurance to take into account following liability.
Here is where the drone itself is insured.
You might want to think about acquiring this kind of coverage directly from DJI if you’re flying a camera drone with them. They currently provide three distinct plans:
Only older Phantom or Inspire models are eligible for DJI Care, which covers damage to your DJI aircraft, gimbal, or camera via routine use or accidental damage. There is no cap on the number of times your drone can be fixed as long as the total coverage amount is not exceeded. You will get a coverage amount equivalent to the market price of your drone for repair service throughout the validity period. Additionally, DJI will pay for shipping if you live in the area in which you bought your DJI Care.
The most popular plan on the market right now, DJI Care Refresh has a similar structure to DJI Care but lets you bypass the damage assessment and quote phases. As soon as a DJI service center receives your damaged drone, they will send you a replacement.
Within a year, DJI Care Refresh+ offers up to two replacement units and covers specific types of mishaps including collisions and water damage.
Check with the manufacturer to see if they have their own coverage if you need hull coverage for a more sophisticated drone system. Alternatively, you can speak with any of the drone insurance brokers recommended later in this article.
III. Other Types of Drone Insurance
Drone Liability Insurance
Although the two most popular types of sUAS insurance are Drone Liability Insurance and hull, you should also think about payload insurance if you’re using an expensive thermal, multispectral, or cinematic camera and gimbal system.
Additionally, there is your ground equipment, which includes remote controls, computers, tablets, UAV cases, and dedicated ground stations. All of that can be covered. Additional factors could include non-owned coverage or personal injury insurance.
