Insurance on AVident
Last updated: October 1, 2026
Every rental, lesson, and checkride booked through AVident involves two policies: the aircraft owner's policy on the airplane, and the pilot's own renter's insurance. This page explains what the Platform requires from each side, why, and what AVident does and does not do about it. It describes our platform requirements; it is not insurance, legal, or financial advice, and your broker or carrier is the right person to confirm what a specific policy covers.
1. The short version
| Aircraft owner | Must hold an Instruction & Rental (I&R) or commercial policy on any aircraft listed for rental, and confirm it on the listing. A Pleasure & Business policy does not qualify. |
|---|---|
| Renter / student | Must keep valid renter's (non-owned aircraft) insurance on file before renting an aircraft. It sits on top of the owner's policy as secondary coverage. |
| Instructor | Should carry their own instructor (non-owned) liability policy and make sure the owner's policy allows them to instruct in the aircraft. |
| AVident | Records what members declare, shows it on listings, and blocks bookings that do not meet the requirements above. We do not verify policies, broker insurance, or decide claims. |
2. Aircraft owners: Instruction & Rental coverage
Most privately owned aircraft carry a Pleasure & Business (P&B) policy. It covers the owner and named or approved pilots flying for their own purposes. Renting the aircraft to another pilot for money, or letting an instructor teach in it for hire, is a different use, and carriers treat it as outside a P&B policy. If something happens during a rental, the carrier can deny the claim and may void the policy altogether. That leaves the owner, the renter, and everyone on board uninsured.
An Instruction & Rental (I&R) policy is written for exactly this use: the aircraft is rented to other pilots and used for flight instruction. Commercial and fleet policies held by flight schools, FBOs, and leaseback operators cover the same activities. Either type meets the Platform's requirement.
What AVident asks of you
- Declare the policy on the listing: policy type, carrier, and expiry date. You can attach a copy of the declarations page or certificate; only you can open it, and renters see that proof is on file.
- Attest that the policy is in force, names the aircraft, and covers renting it to other pilots and instruction given in it through AVident. The attestation is your statement, recorded with the date. Changing the policy details later asks you to attest again.
- Keep it current. When the policy renews, lapses, or changes carrier, update the listing. An expired policy shows as lapsed and pauses bookings.
What happens on the listing
A listing with confirmed I&R or commercial coverage shows an Insured badge. A listing without it shows Insurance not confirmed. From October 15, 2026, a pilot other than the owner or the managing flight school cannot book an aircraft, for rental, dual instruction, or a checkride, until its coverage is confirmed. Owners and managing school administrators can always schedule their own aircraft.
A P&B policy can be declared honestly; the listing then shows as not insured for rental until the policy is changed. Many carriers can convert a P&B policy to I&R or add a rental endorsement; ask your broker.
Some instructor and commercial policies cover the aircraft only when an instructor is aboard, with no solo flying. When you confirm your policy, the listing asks whether it covers solo rental or dual instruction only. If it is dual instruction only, the listing shows dual only, and pilots can book it only with an instructor; solo rentals and checkrides are turned off. Owners and managing school administrators can still schedule their own aircraft.
3. Renters and students: renter's insurance
The owner's I&R policy protects the owner and the aircraft. It usually does not protect you: if you damage the aircraft, the owner's carrier may pay the owner and then recover the money from you (subrogation), and it does not cover your liability to passengers or people on the ground. Renter's insurance, also called non-owned aircraft insurance, is your own policy for those gaps. It follows you into any aircraft you rent.
What AVident asks of you
- Keep a policy on file under More → Insurance: carrier, policy number, liability limit, expiry, and a copy of the policy or certificate. The Platform will not let you rent an aircraft (a booking with no instructor or examiner aboard) without a current policy and proof document on file.
- Carry it for lessons and checkrides too. AVident does not currently block dual instruction or checkride bookings for missing renter's insurance, because an instructor or examiner is aboard, but the owner's policy still may not cover you. We strongly recommend the same policy for every flight in someone else's aircraft.
- Match the hull coverage to the damage responsibility. Each listing states the amount a renter owes if the aircraft is damaged in their care, quoted in the Flight Release you sign before booking. Choose a hull-damage limit that at least covers that amount.
4. Instructors
When you teach in an aircraft you do not own, two policies matter. The owner's I&R policy must allow instruction in the aircraft, and many policies require instructors to be named or to meet an "open pilot" experience clause; confirm this with the owner before the first lesson. Separately, an instructor's non-owned or professional liability policy covers your own exposure while teaching. Some renter's policies exclude flights where you act as the instructor rather than the renter, so check that your policy covers instruction if you rely on one policy for both.
5. Flight schools and fleet aircraft
Aircraft in a school's fleet are covered by the school's commercial policy, which the school confirms once per aircraft on the listing. Students and instructors booking a fleet aircraft through the school's own schedule follow the school's insurance rules; students renting a school aircraft on the open marketplace follow the renter's-insurance requirement above unless the school waives it in its own agreement with them.
6. What AVident does and does not do
- We record and display. Declared policy type, carrier, expiry, attestation dates, and whether proof is on file appear on listings and profiles exactly as members entered them.
- We gate. The Platform refuses bookings that do not meet the requirements above. That is a scheduling rule, not a finding about anyone's coverage.
- We do not verify. AVident does not read, confirm, or adjudicate policies, and a badge is the member's statement, not ours. Renters can ask an owner for the declarations page; owners can ask a renter for their certificate.
- We are not an insurer or a broker. Where the Platform offers a "get a quote" link, it opens an independent insurance provider's site. AVident may receive a referral fee for quotes requested through such a link; that does not change your price, and any policy is between you and the insurer.
- The Terms still govern. Assumption of risk, damage responsibility, and the Flight Release are set out in the Terms of Service, the Provider Agreement, and the Flight Release. Nothing here changes them.
7. Checklists
| Before you… | Make sure |
|---|---|
| List an aircraft for rental | Your policy is I&R or commercial; the listing shows type, carrier, and expiry, and whether the policy covers solo rental or dual instruction only; you have ticked the attestation; a copy of the declarations page is attached. |
| Rent an aircraft | Your renter's policy is current and uploaded; its hull limit covers the listing's damage responsibility; you have read the owner's insurance line on the listing. |
| Instruct in someone else's aircraft | The owner's policy allows instruction and covers you as an instructor; your own instructor liability policy is current. |
| Renew or change a policy | Owners update the listing and re-attest; renters upload the new certificate under More → Insurance. |
8. Questions and changes
Questions about how a requirement applies to your situation on the Platform: support@flyavident.com. Questions about what a policy covers: your broker or carrier. We may update this page as the requirements evolve; the "Last updated" date at the top tells you when it last changed.