CAE Collaborates with Starr Insurance in New Single-Pilot Mentorship Program

CAE announced at the 2021 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual convention and exhibition a new relationship today with Starr Insurance Companies for a first-of-its-kind program that combines a rigorous training regimen and insurance for single-pilot jet owners. The program will increase insurability and ensure the highest safety standards for single-pilot turbojet owners and operators who are not professional pilots.

“Insurance rates continue to rise and are sometimes unattainable for operators of single- pilot aircraft who don’t have the experience of career pilots,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group president Civil Aviation Training Solutions. “We are thrilled to offer this innovative program with Starr Insurance, which makes insurance coverage more accessible for pilots by providing them with comprehensive safety training.”

Developed by CAE, the single-pilot mentorship program is an 18-month training cycle consisting of scenario-based simulator training, Flight Training Data Monitoring with CAE Rise, in-aircraft mentoring and Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT). Participants learn in classroom simulators and on aircraft through mentoring sessions facilitated by specially trained and highly experienced instructors, as defined in the program.

 “Aircraft owner pilots of single pilot jet aircraft are a particularly difficult class to insure,” said Kyle Sparks, senior vice president and chief underwriting office of Starr Aviation. “These are complicated machines to fly, even for professional career pilots. CAE’s rigorous professional flight training regimen will help owner pilots fly safer, and the extensive flight behavior data we’ll get from the program will ensure more accurate insurance underwriting. This initiative will help many of these owners secure the insurance coverage they need for their expensive aircraft.”

Program trainees are provided with an in-depth understanding of the tools used by professional pilots to increase safety before, during, and after flight, including safety management system fundamentals like a flight risk assessment tool and practical threat & error management philosophy. Offering the most convenient way to assure peace-of-mind for single-pilot owners and operators, an emphasis is placed on mitigating the risk of Loss of Control in Flight (LOC-I), enabling trainees to learn how to increase recognition, improve prevention, and develop appropriate recovery skills through proper training.

The single-pilot mentorship program leverages CAE’s superior training and technology that have earned the confidence of original equipment manufacturers. Upon program completion, participants will have the knowledge, ability and confidence to seamlessly transition into complex single-pilot airframes and have the skills required to mitigate risk.