In short, it all depends.

That being said, here is some info. The insurance companies still do
not like to cover twins. Your circumstances will depend on your prior
experience and history. In my case, when I progressed to a twin I had
over 2000 hrs. and 750 hrs. of complex, hi-performance time. This
helped. If I was progressing from a C172 to a twin with retractable
gear, 200+ hp engines etc. they would not have looked favorably. I
would expect a reasonable amount of IFR experience will also be
required. Again, in my case, they wanted 25 hrs. of ME time (this
included the time I built getting the rating), a sign off from a CFI
(this time put me over the 25 hr. requirement) and a check ride and
sign off with another CFI. They also wanted me to take an 8 hr. multi.
simulator course at Flight Safety or Simcom. The only courses I could
find were on a simulator that simulated a Navajo. We realized that I
would spend more time getting used to the Navajo than demonstrating
simulator skills so they dropped that requirement and had the second
CFI sign me off on a simulator at a local airport. The simulator work
was basically a waste of time as the CFI didn't really know what
exercises to perform, the simulator had mechanical problems and the
simulator is a poor substitute for the actual plane (although there
are certain exercises you would do in a simulator that you would not
do in the a/c). We shot 3 simulated approaches and gave up on the
simulator and took the check ride.

My carrier is USAIG. Don't underestimate the cost of insurance. It was
a big jump up from the previous insurance. Also, do the math on the
operating costs and maintenance. One last bit of advise, when getting
the ME rating and the CFI insurance sign off make sure you are current
on hand flying approaches (presuming you are looking for IFR
privileges with your ME rating). The most difficult part of the
experience for me was hand flying approaches (with one or both engines
operating it did not matter). I had let my skills lapse due to flying
approaches coupled with the autopilot. They will want to see
proficiency without the autopilot. You can save some time and money by
brushing up on these skills in a single, if this applies to you.
Besides, ME rating or not, you should be very proficient in hand
flying approaches unless you live somewhere like Phoenix.


"Kevin Chandler" wrote in message ...
Greeting to All,

I am investigating the possibility of purchasing my own plane in the next 12
months. With the soft prices on twin airplanes, they are starting to look a
little more appealing to me than a big single. I have spent a lot of time
investigating costs associated with maintenance so I don't want to stir up
anything.

My question is.... how many hours of multi-engine time are insurance
companies looking for before they would sell you a policy for your own twin?
If this is not to outragous, then I will probably get my ME rating and then
rent a twin to build hours before my purchase.

If you have some information, please also include the underwriter that you
are referring to.

Thanks in advance,
Kevin