I currently have a renter policy with AVEMCO and have been flying mostly C172s. I called them to get a quote for the Cirrus and they advised me that I needed “25h of Constant Speed Prop” time before they’ll insure me.
Now I’m not so sure how to go about this, because I was planning to go through the Embark program, but I assume I need to have it insured before I go through Embark. I was also planning on continuing training post Embark with an instructor until I get comfortable with the airplane, given that it’s a big upgrade from a 172.
Is my only option to just go get 25 hours of Constant Speed Prop time from some school somewhere (for example, in a 182) before I even get to set foot in my own Cirrus? I’d certainly prefer to do 25h in my new (to me) airplane to get more proficient with it.
How do new owners deal with this chicken-and-egg issue?
Greg, you’ll get a lot more assistance in the member sections here. If you wind up owning or regularly flying an SR you’ll get more than your money’s worth out of the nominal annual fee.
Yes, you will need proof of insurance prior to starting Embark training.
I bought a 2004 SR22 a couple of months ago and am going through the Embark training now. I’m also transitioning from a trainer (Piper Archer), so a somewhat analogous situation to yours.
I did get a quote from Avemco before buying the SR22 but there was no requirement to have any constant speed prop time. It did require 10 hours of dual instruction, a CFI endorsement, and an annual flight review and IPC which needed to be conducted by a Cirrus Training Center or CSIP.
I have an instrument rating and >500 hrs in PA28s, so not sure if that made a difference. But I didn’t have any constant speed prop time or a high performance endorsement.
Although the quote from Avemco wasn’t bad, I ended up going with Wings Insurance. They did a great job getting multiple quotes and it ended up being cheaper than Avemco. I’d give them a call.
I have no answer for your question. I do have a comment. What a goofy Avemco requirement for Cirrus airplanes We don’t have a blue knob. We don’t/can’t cycle prop governor 3 times before takeoff. We don’t manually change pitch for landing/go around. We don’t manually change pitch for windmilling prop engine out. So what safety benefit can there be for requiring 25 hours of constant speed prop experience when it comes to insuring a Cirrus.
I would get a quote from an actual broker. It will probably be cheaper too.
An SR22T not only doesn’t have a prop lever, but it doesn’t even have a cable like the other SR’s. You have zero control over the prop on an SR22T, it just is what it is.
I thought the same and even brought it up to the person I was speaking with. He just told me “I’m not sure, that’s just what the requirements are” so I didn’t question any further.
I don’t have great feelings for Avemco and would look for other options. They are a bit unique as they are their own broker … so usually when you shop plane insurance the broker you pick (is very important) because he/she goes to the market for you and quotes are locked to that broker … so having 2-3 brokers working for you isn’t really possible.
I didn’t like some of the fine print and limits in their policy so I excluded them.