Flock Launches Pay-as-you-fly Drone Insurance for Hobbyists

Flock, a UK drone insurance startup, has unlocked its ‘pay-as-you-fly’ insurance and safety smartphone app, Flock Cover, to recreational pilots.

Before now the Flock Cover app could only be used by professional pilots and those in training. The move opens up the platform to hobbyists, who can use the mobile app to receive a real-time risk report for their flight, before purchasing on-demand Public Liability Insurance. Underwritten by German insurance giant and DRL sponsor Allianz, the policies start from £3 per day.

Flock: Peace of mind at the touch of a button

Every drone pilot can identify with that sense of nervousness when you first take to the skies. Particularly if you’re flying an expensive piece of equipment.

Flock’s recreational drone insurance aims to offer hobbyists “peace of mind at the touch of a button.”

In less than 60 seconds, a pilot using the Flock Cover app can arrange coverage for an hour of flight time or more, selecting from a number of policy options that include £250,000 of Public Liability Insurance. Each policy is customised to the individual flight, with the pilot selecting their drone model and flight area (a 500m radius circle).

A risk-dependent quote is generated by Flock’s algorithms, which analyse the pilot’s risk profile alongside real-time and geospatial data within the selected flight area. The Flock Cover app incentivises lower-risk flights with cheaper insurance policies, and makes this insight completely visible to pilots, who can use Flock’s Flight Planning tool to see when and where it’s safest to fly their drones within a 10-day period.

Ed Leon Klinger, CEO of Flock said, “Understanding the risks associated with drone flying is vitally important. Flock Cover is the first pay-as-you-go insurance product that allows any type of pilot to insure their flight for the price of a coffee. And Flock’s dynamic risk map allows pilots to easily understand their surrounding environment, too.”

He added, “With over 1,000 commercial users on the platform already, we couldn’t be happier to be opening Flock Cover up to to the general public alongside some brilliant partners in the drone industry.”

Antton Peña, Flock’s Head of Product, said “Insurance shouldn’t be confusing or arduous. It should be simple and fair. That’s what we’ve achieved with Flock Cover.”

Safety and education

As part of the on-demand insurance process, Flock highlights the flight factors that determine policy prices. A risk-report is generated for each flight, with information on weather, temporarily restricted airspaces and nearby airports. 

Within the App Flock also promotes awareness of the UK’s CAA’s Drone Code. Before the flight, Flock displays the six Drone Code rules.

Jonathan Nicholson, the CAA’s Assistant Director of Communications, welcomed this digital integration, saying, “We absolutely welcome Flock’s promotion of the Drone Code as it’s vital that drone users are aware of the safety rules. Drones have amazing potential but for that to be realised we need everyone flying a drone to follow the simple safety rules.”

Flock is now working closely with its insurance partner Allianz to distribute its on-demand drone insurance to pilots across Europe.