> I am planning on flying the Atlantic this summer and
> don't really have a problem with accents. I am
> struggling much more with the bureaucracy. Can anyone
> help with contacts for prior permission in Iceland and
> insurance?
>
> Thanks
>
> Pat Weston
> Lancair Super Duper ES N747PW, 125 hours and cranking



Hi Pat,

Yes, you're right. We were kidding about the accents...the bureaucracy is
very real. The biggest problem with an Atlantic crossing is definitely
politics.

We've been actively planning our Europe trip since last summer. So far we've
obtained permits from Canada (an easy internet download) and Great Britain.
We've been corresponding with Germany and Iceland and have obtained a
commitment from Denmark (Greenland) pending our obtaining the required
insurance. The problem is, few companies will sell you the required
insurance. It's 60,000,000 DKK which works out to $8,712,000 US dollars.
Unless you've got the range to bypass not only landing in Greenland but
passing through Greenlandic airspace (difficult in a Lancair) you are
legally required to obtain permission which means producing the insurance.
Lloyds will write it with a MINIMUM premium of $20,000 for a single trip
($40,000 round trip). Germany requires 1,500,000 euros which MUST include
war and terrorism coverage,  Iceland under a million dollars and Great
Britain...nothing.

So far, we've obtained the geographic coverage from our regular insurance
broker (Falcon), but they are unable to find anyone willing to write over a
million.

Before starting out, we've already spent enough money on immersion suits,
raft, charts, insurance ($1,000,000 coverage so far) etc, etc to send the
entire neighborhood to Europe in style. The permits and commitments that we
have obtained have been the result of lengthy correspondences and sending
packages of data including Sue and my resumes. Each of us have many
thousands (24 and 14) hours experience and hundreds of Atlantic crossings as
PIC. Even with this,  it seems the insurance is a brick wall.

If you want to do it legally, prepare for a long and difficult search for
the insurance. If you plan to do it without the permits, be prepared for the
possibility of loosing your airplane. (it has happened).

The plan we have worked out so far is to become ferry pilots for an
established Scottish ferry company. The company will put us on their
insurance for a fee. The official word is that we are ferrying the airplane
over for a sale, the sale falls through, and we ferry it back. We needed to
convince them that we had the qualifications before they would agree to
this. The coverage is good only for 30 days.

Good luck. If you're planning a trip this summer, start the paperwork right
now. Let us know if you find any other leads on insurance or permits.

Bill
harrelson@erols.com
N5ZQ  LNC2  O-320  VA42  Fredericksburg, VA