Aveling wrote:
Of course, obtaining insurance in UK by giving a fake address would be a serious, perhaps even criminal, matter
Surely only if done fraudulently? If the address has no material impact on the nature of the insurance other than a place to send documents, then why would it be a criminal matter?
I think that is largely true in selling insurance in a purely consumer marketplace. Othewise, UK insurance is based on Uberrima Fides. And your address does generally have a bearing on how risky a proposition you are 
It’s not a criminal matter; it is a civil matter. The insurer can just choose to not pay out, or to reduce a payout.
So I can use a friends address for insurance in the usa, ok!
Any recommendations? Avemco? Thank you!
Thanks for the information. Will need to do due diligence on the renters insurance. In terms of travel insurance, more than a decade ago I was mugged and dumped by a river in a peripheral european country. Fortunately I had travel insurance with medical cover which got me straight into a private hospital for the couple of days until I regained consciousness. The years of travel insurance premium before, and since, feel cheap in comparison … and the stories I hear of US medical costs for people who’ve had to undergo the most basic emergency treatment … I wouldn’t leave my nice plushy NHS country without it !
Avemco and AOPA are the only two I know of that advertise renter’s insurance. I use Avemco and am quite impressed with the service (never made a claim though). They’re ok with payment from a foreign credit card, but I do have a USA address (IIRC I made it clear when first taking out cover that I was a ‘non-resident alien’). Their telephone hold music is a re-broadcast of their local airport’s radio frequency, which I like, and they send a quarterly newsletter by email which is reasonably interesting. In my case it buys peace of mind.
I use Trafford’s for travel insurance: worldwide+USA with winter sports and fixed wing flying or gliding is about £230 including madame Capitaine and petit Capitaine. I really wouldn’t recommend going to the USA without health insurance. We went to the local hospital a long time ago and asked about this, and essentially they won’t let you in without insurance or a credit card. They weren’t joking.
Capitaine wrote:
Avemco and AOPA are the only two I know of that advertise renter’s insuranceI have used Starr Aviation twice in the past, and while they also required a US mailing address, they were perfectly fine with me using the address of the outfit where I rented the plane. They also said it would be no problem to change this address on short notice in case my plans changed.
Thanks for the explanation of travel insurance. I get it now even if I don’t need it. I wouldn’t recommend anyone being in the US or anywhere else without valid health insurance. My (US) health insurance covers worldwide, so pays in Europe, Mexico, Canada etc as long as I’m a US resident on vacation or business travel. I’ve had friends with similar coverage in hospital in Romania (seriously not recommended with a punctured lung), Germany (recovering from Romania) and Switzerland (a separate case, broken limbs). All related to motorcycle accidents, and the possibility definitely exists for me in the future. In the Swiss case, the US insurance company tried to play some games, claiming they didn’t understand the value of CHF or understand an invoice in German… but in the end they paid.
To answer the original poster’s questions, I had a similar holiday a few years ago
Getting a piggyback licence wasn’t too hard provided you jumped through ththe right hoops. for example, it is easy to overlook the need for TWO separate forms of approved photo ID when at the FSDO. My experience documented here
I had a great time, as others have said the general atmosphere is relaxed and supportive but you are expected to follow instructions when in controlled airspace. Read here
A VFR flight up or down the Hudson should be on everybody’s bucket list. A short video with ATC here
Peter wrote:
It’s not a criminal matter; it is a civil matter.
Not everyone entirely agrees with that, Peter. For instance this link says that while most of the time it’s not really fraud, the situation in some states might vary.
After all, the broker is trying to discourage us from admitting we are foreigners in the online form and may or may not pass on information about our true residency to underwriters. For my case, I’ve adequate proof that I’ve told the broker the true situation. But hey, it’s not as if the US is a litigious country! Reports of actual claims are few and far between in public media, perhaps because they don’t happen or maybe for other reasons…
Like I said, you could write a book on this.
Sure; it will be country dependent.
Also in the UK you can get done for insurance fraud.
