Hang gliding is not a risk category but a category of its own: you are piloting an aircraft, and that word appears in your policies in several places as an exclusion.
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In brief
Travel and accident policies exclude taking part in air sports as standard. Unlike mountain sports or winter sports, that is not a question of a loading but a categorical exclusion: not every insurer offers an extension for it. Those that do accept it ask about your licence, your flying hours and the launch method you use.
What sets hang gliding apart from other air sports is that you have an aircraft . That aircraft is not luggage: a broken tube or a torn sail after a hard landing does not fall under the luggage section of a travel insurance, because that is damage through use. There is separate hull cover for that, which you arrange apart from your personal cover.
And then there is liability. Virtually every personal liability insurance excludes damage caused with an aircraft. If on landing you hit a car, a building or a bystander, you never reach that policy and you need liability cover for air sports, often through your club or association. See also gliding.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The essentials
Declare in advance
What you do not declare is not covered.
Notify before departure
Surcharge or separate module
Also for one-off participation
Note all three
Three covers
They do not always run in step.
Medical expenses
Accidents and disability
Liability
Emergency assistance centre
In an accident
Call before you incur costs.
Arranging a guarantee
Salvage and repatriation
Keep all receipts
What is covered
Situation
Standard
With extension
Medical expenses after an accident
No
Yes
Rescue and salvage costs
No
Yes
Permanent disability
No
Sometimes
Liability towards third parties
Sometimes
Yes
Taking part in competition
No
Sometimes
Taking part without the required qualification
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Your liability insurance stops at the aircraft
Damage to someone else is judged under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, but the question is which policy carries that damage. Personal liability policies have an exclusion for damage caused with an aircraft, and a hang glider falls under it. Separate aviation liability cover is therefore needed, usually arranged through club membership. Check whether it also applies when flying abroad and when carrying a passenger.
A tandem flight is also an air sport
Many people assume that flying with an instructor falls under ordinary travel cover, because they are not piloting anything themselves. For the policy that makes no difference: the exclusion is aimed at taking part in air sports, whoever holds the control bar. If you book a tandem flight during a trip, declare it in advance. Also ask the provider what cover it has for passengers and whether that is valid in that country.
Licence, ratings and launch method
Insurers that accept air sports link the cover to a valid licence and to the ratings that go with it. Flying without a valid licence, outside your ratings or with an aircraft that is not airworthy is excluded. The launch method also counts: hill launch, winch launch and aerotow are not assessed in the same way everywhere. State which methods you use and keep your logbook up to date, because it will be asked for when you claim.
Declare it on your other policies
Air sports are a classic exclusion on disability and life insurance policies. When such insurance is taken out, the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code applies. If you conceal that you fly, the insurer can reduce or refuse the payment under Article 7:930 DCC, even years later. Better to declare it in advance and accept a clause; that is better than a payment that fails at the worst moment.
What does your premium depend on?
Licence level and flying hours — The number of hours and how recent they are strongly determine how an insurer assesses the risk.
Launch method — Hill launch, winch launch and aerotow each bring their own pattern of incidents.
Type of flights — Local flying above the site differs from cross-country flights and from taking part in competitions.
Flying area — Flying in mountainous country or abroad calls for a wider territorial scope.
Hull value of the aircraft — The value of the wing, harness and instruments determines the separate hull cover.
Sums insured for death and disability — With air sports these two sections weigh more heavily than the payment of medical expenses.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
With most policies not without a declaration. The exclusion applies to taking part in air sports and makes no distinction between pilot and passenger. Declare the flight in advance to your travel or accident insurer. Also ask the provider what passenger cover it has and whether that is valid in the country of the flight.
Does my liability insurance cover damage on landing?
Almost certainly not. Personal liability policies exclude damage caused with an aircraft. If you hit a parked car, a fence or a bystander, that falls outside the policy and you need liability cover for air sports. That usually runs through your club or association; check the sum insured and the territorial scope.
Is my hang glider itself insured against damage?
Not through your travel or home contents insurance. A broken tube or a torn sail is damage through use and not a sudden external event within the meaning of the luggage section. There is separate hull cover for the aircraft. Also watch the transport: damage while it is carried on the car roof falls under a different provision.
Do I have to declare it on my life insurance?
Yes. Air sports are among the facts covered by the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. If you do not declare it and it comes to light after an accident, the insurer can reduce or refuse the payment under Article 7:930 DCC, at precisely the moment your dependants need it. Declare it when you take out the policy and when you start flying.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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