Compare life insurance quotes from 9 major Australian insurers. Get your free indicative quote in 3 minutes with no obligation.
Flying is a higher-risk occupation in the eyes of insurers, and they vary a lot in how they cover pilots. Between aviation risk, irregular rosters, and the training and family commitments most pilots carry, life insurance is worth getting right. Where you apply can matter as much as what you apply for.
When you apply, insurers focus on three things above all: what you fly, how much you fly, and whether your flying is for work or for recreation. A captain on a scheduled passenger airline, a charter pilot, a helicopter pilot, and a crop-duster are all assessed very differently, and your hours in the air matter more than almost anything else. One thing that surprises many pilots is that flying for a major airline rather than a smaller charter operator usually makes little difference to how you are classified. Aviation is also one of the few occupations where your hobbies count too, so recreational flying on your days off can affect your cover just as much as the flying you do for a living. Helicopter, mustering, crop-dusting, and other specialised flying are looked at separately again, and usually attract more detailed questions. Because the differences between insurers are so large, comparing across the panel is the single most useful thing a pilot can do.
The panel varies more for pilots than for almost any other occupation, and the differences are biggest on income protection. Life cover is the most widely available: almost every insurer will offer it to a professional pilot, though often at a higher premium than for a desk-based job. Income protection is the hardest to get, because many insurers treat airline pilots as a special risk and will not offer it at all, while a small number on our panel still will, on certain terms. Total and permanent disability cover sits in between, available from some insurers and not others, with terms that differ from one to the next. Trauma cover, which pays a lump sum on diagnosis of a serious illness, is usually available and is particularly relevant for pilots, because losing an aviation medical can end a flying career even without a disabling injury. The practical takeaway is the same across all four cover types: the insurer you choose changes the outcome, so it is worth comparing rather than taking the first quote.
Sourced from current panel-insurer adviser guides. Specific category placement depends on your individual duties and qualifications. General advice only.
A qualitative view of how the four core cover types commonly stack up for pilots. Order is general — what is most relevant for you depends on your personal circumstances, family commitments, and existing cover.
Life cover is the foundation most pilots start with, and the cover you can most reliably get across the panel. Almost every insurer will offer it to a professional pilot, even where other cover is restricted, though usually at a higher premium than for an office job. It pays a lump sum to the people you nominate, which matters given the aviation risk and family commitments most pilots carry.
Total and permanent disability cover pays a lump sum if you are permanently unable to work. For pilots it is available from some insurers and not others, and the definition you are offered can vary, so checking the terms carefully is one of the higher-value parts of comparing quotes.
Trauma cover, sometimes called crisis cover, pays a lump sum on diagnosis of a serious illness such as cancer or a heart attack. It is usually available to pilots and is especially relevant for this job, because losing your aviation medical can end your flying career even without an injury serious enough to meet the disability test.
Income protection replaces part of your income while you are unable to work. It is the hardest cover for pilots to get: many insurers will not offer it to airline pilots at all, and a few still will on certain terms. Because the difference between insurers is so large here, this is the cover most worth shopping around for.
Every person's premium is different. It depends on your age, health, smoking status, and what you actually do day-to-day. The quickest way to find out what you'd pay is to request a free quote comparison.
Your occupation is one piece of the puzzle. Here's what insurers look at:
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Usually yes, and how much depends heavily on what you fly and how many hours you fly. The gap between insurers can be large, which is the main reason it is worth comparing rather than taking the first quote you are offered.
A lot. Jets, turboprops, helicopters, and light aircraft all carry different levels of risk, and an airline captain is assessed very differently from a crop-dusting or mustering pilot. Insurers will ask what you fly, your licence, your flying hours, and the kind of flying you do.
Check the fine print. Some standard life policies quietly exclude anything that happens while you are flying, which defeats the purpose for a working pilot. Make sure your flying is actually covered, not silently excluded, before you settle on a policy.
Yes. Recreational flying, including light aircraft, ultralights, gliding, ballooning, and aerobatics, is assessed on top of your professional flying, and the number of hours you fly each year is what matters most. Mention every kind of flying you do, not just the flying you do for work.
Insurers will not usually ask for your aviation medical itself, but they will ask about your health, and you need to tell them about anything that has been noted, restricted, suspended, or downgraded, even if it has since returned to normal. An undisclosed issue can give an insurer grounds to reduce or decline a future claim, so when in doubt, disclose it.
Many insurers treat professional pilots as a special risk and will not offer income protection at all, while a small number on our panel still will, on certain terms. This is the single biggest reason it pays to compare across insurers rather than start with one quote, and it is one of the most important things for any working pilot to check.
Less than most people expect. The two are usually classified in much the same way. The finer differences between pilots come down to your hours, the aircraft you fly, your routes, and your individual flying history, rather than the size of the airline you fly for.
Helicopter, agricultural, mustering, and other specialised flying are usually looked at separately from airline flying, and often attract more detailed questions and a wider range of outcomes between insurers. If you fly rotary, agricultural, or other specialised operations, expect more underwriting questions and a result that varies more from one insurer to the next.
Your pilot rating and any flying-related exclusion were based on you actively flying. When you retire from flying for income, it is worth asking your insurer to review both, because your premium may improve and an aviation exclusion may no longer be needed. Neither happens automatically, so it is a conversation to have around the time you stop flying.
General Advice Warning: The information on this page is general in nature and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. Before making any decisions, consider whether the information is appropriate for your circumstances and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
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Side-by-side comparison of life cover from 9 Australian insurers.
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