Chances are at some point you’ve encountered a client who has decided to become a pilot. That client may be affluent enough to be able to afford an airplane. It could be a company or personal purchase.

You’ve been the agent insuring the business, the home and the autos for years, so naturally, the client comes to you when it’s time to insure that shiny new airplane.

The first thought that probably crosses your mind is, “How do I even begin to do that?”—quickly followed by, “None of my companies write aviation risks at all.” That means you’ll probably head to a secondary source for help writing this aviation policy.

Partnering with an aviation specialist is a great strategy, but you still want to provide some service to your client and look reasonably well-informed about the process. What do you need to know? What do you need to do? What information do you need to gather?

Here are seven tips on how your agency can move forward on a simple aviation risk.

1) Don’t try to talk your client out of it—it’s not going to work.

Yes, flying is risky, and so is owning an airplane. In the early 1930s, Captain A.G. Lamplugh of the British Aviation Insurance Group summed it up when he said: “Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.”

But for your client who has been lured to the thrill of the air, author Paul J. Sampson offers a different perspective: “We contrive to make the invisible air support us, we relinquish the security of feet on the ground because flying is demanding, delightful, beautiful: because we love it. Very few of us are actually crazy, and nearly all of us manage the risks as well as we can, but we all willingly trade some of our security for the immeasurable beauty of the sky.”

That could very well describe your client, and if it does, stow your natural cautiousness and conservative approach away. If you don’t forge forward on the risk, the client will find someone else who will.

2) Gather some basic, pertinent information about the airplane—you’ll need it later to expedite applications.

Some of the information you’ll need to know about the aircraft itself will seem rather obvious—it has a corresponding subject in personal lines auto or in garage policies. Here’s what you’ll need to know:

• Who is the manufacturer and what is the make, model and type of aircraft? You wouldn’t insure a car without knowing whether it was a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ford or Chevy.
• Does the plane have retractable landing gear?
• How many passengers fit in the plane?
• How old is the plane?
• When was the aircraft purchased? Is there a lienholder?
• What airport hangars the craft? This is similar to finding out where a car is garaged. Underwriters will likely ask about runway length, typical weather, visibility and more.
• What is the FAA registration number? This corresponds with a vehicle identification number or VIN.
• What’s the plane’s maintenance history, and when is its next servicing due? Maintenance plays a large role in aviation risk assessment.
• What is the expected use? For initial purposes, you’ll just need to know whether the pilot plans on using the plane for business or pleasure and where typical flights will go, especially if the flights will be outside the continental United States. You may need to gather more information on this at a later time, by inquiring about the potential for special uses, like crop dusting or firefighting.

3) Find out who’s going to be flying this thing.

Even more so than with an auto policy, who’s going to be at the controls bears a lot of weight in underwriting aviation risk. Experience pays off, and specific experience with a particular type of plane pays off even more handsomely in terms of reduced premium.

According to Alexander T. Wells and Bruce D. Chadbourne, authors of leading aviation book “Introduction to Aviation and Risk Management,” premiums “depend largely upon the experience and ability of the pilot. Insureds may improve their rates based on experience by verifying the total hours flown as a pilot-in-command and time in make and model.”

For four more tips on getting started in the aviation insurance market, keep an eye on IAmagazine.com and next week’s issue of the Markets Pulse e-newsletter.

Rick Pitts is vice president and general counsel at Arlington/Roe.