All, It seems to me that we are getting into and "Apples and Oranges" discussion. The FAA rules define who can fly what. They are pretty explicit and if you don't follow them you probably will be subject to discipline and/or fines. The insurance companies each have their own rules about when your insurance is in force and when it is not. If you don't follow your insurance company rules you probably will not be able to collect any benefits should you have an accident even if you have paid all the required premiums. The two worlds (the FAA and the insurance companies) are separate requirements. When I bought my coupe, the FAA rules would let me jump right into it and fly as long as I stayed within the Sport Pilot regulations. The only one I didn't meet was that I could not carry passengers until I had my three daytime takeoffs and landings since I was not current without them. My insurance company wanted me to get a checkout by a CFI before flying solo. When I asked what the requirements were for the checkout, I was told there were no specific requirements as long as the CFI would sign me off as safe in the aircraft. The day I purchased the coupe, I arranged for a CFI, (who I did not know and he did not know me) who had never been in a coupe much less had acted as PIC in one, to check me out. We flew for an hour, most of which was spent with him flying the coupe under my instructions. (I had flown a coupe less than 25 minutes at that time and had made only two landings in one.) I did the first takeoff, flew about five minutes out to their practice area and demonstrated what happens if you do a traditional stall entry in a coupe. I offered to let the instructor fly. He accepted and flew the rest of the hour most of which was spend doing takeoffs and landings which I critiqued. When we finished the hour, he landed the plane, taxied to the ramp, endorsed my logbook and I left flying solo for the 300 plus mile trip back home.
John Roach N 2427H
