Author Archives: AIB

Young Briton Wins Gold At European Paragliding Championships

Our paragliding clients will be pleased to hear about a young man’s success at the FAI European Paragliding Championships that took place in July in Montalegre, Portugal. His name is Theo Warden and he is only 19 years of age. Apparently, he is one of the youngest people to win a gold medal in the history of this competition.

Around 150 of the best paragliders from 28 European countries took part in the annual event so there was obviously an awful lot of competition. This is the 15^th one of these championships that took place over a 10-day period. There were 8 tasks covering distances ranging from 53km to 93km.

It was a close run thing with Theo Warden accumulating 5,348 points. However, in second place was Torsten Siegal from Germany who finished on 5,346 points – only 2 points behind the winner. The third placed contestant was B iagio Alberto Vitale from Italy who finished with 5,328 points – only 20 points behind Theo Warden.

Apparently, Theo Warden only started paragliding at the age of 14 so he has done remarkably well to have reached the level that he has in the space of 5 years. In 2015, at the British Open in St Andre Les Alpes, France he was ranked 59^th. In 2016, he was ranked in 25^th place at the British Open in Mantelgas, Portugal. In 2017, he was ranked 15^th at the British Open in the Malverns. In 2017, at the World Cup Superfinal in Colombia, he was ranked in 15^th place.

It is also worth mentioning that, along with Lawrie Noctor, it was not too long ago that he broke the UK declared tandem paragliding record having flown a distance of 71km.

Well done to Theo Warden from all of us here at AIB Insurance and we wish him every success in future competitions.

Whether you are an experienced paraglider or are getting into the sport for the first time, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a friendly, knowledgeable member of our staff about arranging suitable, competitive insurance to provide you with complete peace of mind.

You May Find These Statistics About Burglaries Of Interest…..

To come home and find that your property has been broken into and items damaged/stolen is a terrible situation to find yourself in and one that you could do without. It is an invasion of your privacy and will no doubt take up quite a bit of your time such as informing and meeting with the police, making a list of your stolen belongings and replacing them as well as contacting your insurance provider.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) obtained data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) entitled Nature of Crime: Burglary covering the 12 month period to the 31^st March 2017 that we think you may find of interest. We highlight some of those statistics below relating to domestic burglary with entry but full details can be found on the ONS website.

About the burglars

81% of the offenders were males, 9% were females and 10% were both.
0% were under 10 years of age, 3% were between 10 to 15 years of age, 33% were aged 16 to 24, 49% were aged between 25 to 39 and 18% were 40 years of age and over.
42% of the victims were burgled by strangers, 16% were broken into by people that they had either spoken to or seen in the past and 42% were burgled by people that they knew well.

When did the burglaries take place?

65% of the burglaries took place during the week.
35% of them happened at the weekend.
.45% took place in the morning/afternoon
55% happened in the evening/night

Which side of the property did they gain access through?

49% front
41% back
8% side
2% more than one way

Method of entry

75% through a door
24% via a window
3% through other ways

What were the major items stolen?

35% tools/work materials
31% garden furniture
11% bicycles, bicycle parts
9% sports equipment
5% children’s toys/baby items

Cost of items stolen

35% £1,000 or more
14% £500 to £999
24% £200 to £499
5% £100 to £199
8% £50 to £99
9% £20 to £49
4% £1 to £19
1% no cost

Contact with burglars

54% somebody at home
46% no one at home
60% violence or force used or threatened
40% neither violence, force or threats

We trust that you found the above statistics of interest. If you own your own home then you will no doubt wish to make sure that it is adequately insured along with the contents and personal belongings or, if you rent a property, you will wish to make sure that your personal belongings and any furnishings/white goods etc that you own are insured. In that respect, why not get in contact with us here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 to discuss your requirements and obtain a quotation.

Tom Cruise And James Corden Go Skydiving

Over the years, many of you will have been to the cinema to watch Tom Cruise star in the Mission Impossible films. One of these called Mission: Impossible – Fallout has recently been released and is doing very well at the box office both here and in other countries around the world.

He is renowned for undertaking his own stunts despite some of them being somewhat risky. In his latest movie he took to the skies and skydived from a plane but it took over 100 jumps before he felt he had got it right.

Well, not too long ago, Tom Cruise appeared on the Late Late Show in the USA that is hosted by none other than James Corden. Apparently, James Corden decided to, shall we say, “make fun” of Tom Cruise’s skydiving and, as a result, Tom challenged James to take to the air with him and complete a jump. James accepted his offer although who knows whether he later regretted agreeing to do this.

Perhaps Tom was wondering if James would back down having had time to dwell on his decision and change his mind but, no, to his credit, James appeared on the day and no doubt after some training boarded a plane with Tom and they took to the air.

From around 15,000 feet Tom parachuted from the plane on his own and James did the same attached to an instructor. You will be pleased to read that both stars landed safely on the ground.

All credit to James for doing this although it will be interesting to see if he ever does such a thing in the future.

If you are into skydiving or any other airsports for that matter then why not give us a call here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 to discuss your insurance requirements with a member of our knowledgeable team who will be happy to obtain a quotation without any obligation from our panel of insurers.

LEGO Launches James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 Kit Car

There are no doubt some of you who are old enough to have watched the James Bond film called Goldfinger back in the 1960s. However, that film was particularly remembered for the sports car driven around by 007, an Aston Martin DB5, in view of the range of gadgets the sleek car was equipped with.

Well, those of you who are into building kit cars may be interested to read that you now have the chance to construct such an iconic classic vehicle but for a fraction of the cost. Furthermore, it will no doubt involve a lot less time being spent in the garage as it should only take a few hours to put together. Unfortunately, before you get too excited, this is a kit car that you are not going to be able to get behind the wheel of but will no doubt have great fun in building.

LEGO, that has also been around for many years, has recently launched its own version of the legendary 1964 Aston Martin DB5. It is a 1:8 scale model measuring 34cm long, 12cm wide and 10cm high. There are 1,295 pieces to put together and it is considered suitable for people from the age of 16 upwards. It retails at £129.99.

It has properly opening and closing doors that reveal a detailed interior. It has a telephone, front and rear number plates that revolve, it has tyre scythes on the wheels, a bullet proof screen that comes up behind the rear windscreen, you can move the gearstick to reveal two machine guns at the front of the sports car plus it also comes with that very famous ejector seat that is activated by pulling back the rear bumper.

The launch of the car took place at the LEGO store in Leicester Square, London at 10.07 am (note the specific time) on 18^th July and this was performed by Naomie Harris alias Miss Moneypenny.

For those of you that do decide to purchase and build this kit car, do bear in mind that, for once, it is not a vehicle that we can arrange insurance for!

Rolls-Royce Planning To Manufacture Flying Taxi

Here in the UK and in many other countries around the world, some of the roads are becoming so congested that it can prove difficult to get from A to B on time in a normal vehicle such as a car. This is a particular inconvenience if you are the owner of a business and need to get to an important meeting by a specific time that could have a negative financial impact if you do not arrive as scheduled.

Unfortunately, not many companies are able to afford to buy a helicopter to transport their senior executives a couple of hundred miles from one city to another or to get them from one side of London to the other for an important meeting with a potential new client. Whilst taxi drivers do the best that they can to get people to their destinations and know many alternative routes, they sometimes cannot avoid the many traffic jams we encounter here in the UK almost on a daily basis.

Well, it sounds like Rolls-Royce that is renowned for building luxury cars and aircraft engines amongst other things is hoping to change all that. This is because the company is looking to build an aircraft that could, amongst other things, be used as a flying taxi.

It is an EVTOL that stands for Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft and it is hoped that such a vehicle will be available for commercial use in the early to mid 2020s. The concept has been unveiled at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow.

An M250 gas turbine is utilised to produce electricity that provides the power for six propulsion/lift motors. The wings will be able to rotate 90 degrees to allow for vertical landing and take off as well as forward propulsion. It is estimated that the vehicle could transport up to 5 people a distance of around 500 miles at a speed of up to 250 mph. So, with that sort of range, it could be used for trips in the UK and for getting to other European countries.

Potentially, the EVTOL could have many different uses in addition to providing a taxi service. For instance, it could be used by the military, on a personal basis, and for moving cargo.

We wish Rolls-Royce every success with this project and hope to see the EVTOL take to the skies in the not too distant future. We will keep you updated.

Travel Insurance For Family Holidays – 48% Of Parents Don’t Arrange Cover

The summer school holidays are with us and many families will be finalising their travel plans, packing their bags and excited children will be getting into a taxi with their parents in the early hours of the morning to drive to the airport to board an early morning flight to a sunny climate overseas where they will spend a week or two perhaps around a hotel pool or on a sandy beech. Let us hope that their break is enjoyable and trouble free.

However, according to research carried out on behalf of Co-op Insurance, you may be interested to read that 37% of parents had one of their children have an injury or be taken ill whilst away on holiday. That is a worrying statistic but what is also concerning is that the research has revealed that 48% of parents do not bother to arrange travel insurance when taking their family on holiday.

We are sure that you will agree these are worrying statistics especially when you consider that the average travel insurance claim for a child taken ill on holiday is £606. Presumably, there will be a number of claims that could run into many thousands of pounds.

Another interesting statistic that has come out of this research that was carried out in April 2018 with 2,000 parents is that 26% of parents either cancelled the family holiday or considered doing so due to one of their children being taken ill prior to departing on their trip.

The top 5 injuries were cuts (38%), insect bites (31%), bruises (30%), sprained wrist (25%) and a bump to the head (17%).

The top 5 illnesses were stomach bug (24%), flu (22%), chickenpox (17%), food poisoning (12%) and ear infection (12%).

Those parents who had not arranged travel insurance would no doubt have had to find some other way of paying for the medical treatment perhaps either by using a credit card, overdraft facility or savings.

Presumably, some parents made the decision not to take out travel insurance to cover their family due to the cost and/or felt that it was worth taking the risk that none of their party would fall ill or suffer an injury. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but you cannot help but wander how many of those 48% of parents who did not bother to arrange such cover would now do so having digested the above statistics.

So, if you are planning a family holiday or are about to set off on your break and do not have travel insurance, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a knowledgeable member of our staff who will discuss your requirements and be able to provide a competitive quotation.

BMW Owned By Racing Legend Sells For Almost £4 Million

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale that took place on the 13th July, a 1957 BMW 507 Roadster with hardtop was sold for a staggering £3,809.500 – just short of £4 million. So, how was such a classic sports car able to achieve such a price?

Well, a major factor was that it had been owned by the late John Surtees CBE who had the vehicle in his possession from new until he died on the 10th March 2017 at the age of 83. Many of you will be aware that John Surtees was renowned as being not only the winner of motorcycle world championships but also was a Formula One World Champion – a feat that only he has achieved.

Mr Surtees was the 500cc motorcycle world champion on four occasions – in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960. He later went on to become Formula One World Champion in 1964 with Ferrari.

The above classic car was one of only 252 built and was adapted to include Dunlop disc brakes on all four wheels and also had some mechanical work carried out that increased its speed so that it was capable of getting to just over 140mph as Mr Surtees had felt it was not quick enough. It is left hand drive. It is a solver/blue colour and in immaculate condition.

Apparently, following Mr Surtees becoming motorcycle world champion for the first time in 1956 with MV Augusta, he was approached by Count Augusta who offered to buy him a gift and it is believed that the racing team contributed 50% towards the purchase of the above vehicle that originally cost £3,200. It has certainly proved to be a sound investment although perhaps Mr Surtees did not buy it for such a purpose as he no doubt enjoyed driving it.

Here at AIB Insurance, we have arranged classic car insurance on many vehicles. So, if you are looking to insure your vehicle why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and we will be pleased to provide a competitive quotation from our panel of specialist insurance companies.

Schoolgirls Build Microlight

There are no doubt many schools around the UK at which they encourage their pupils to get involved in constructing things but there surely cannot be many that have built something as large or as complex as a working, flying microlight. Well, that is exactly what has happened at Benenden School.

The boarding school is located in Cranbrook in the Kent countryside and has 551 girls aged 11 to 18 years. It dates back to 1923.

It was back in September 2016 that work started on building the micolight aircraft with 28 girls giving up two hours of their time after school one evening a week. Their work was supervised by a number of members of staff. The British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) was also involved and actually owns the finished microlight. It is interesting that the registration mark on the plane is G-GRLS – what a wonderful idea.

On Sunday the 1^st July 2018 all the girls hard work came to fruition when the microlight, having gone through various safety tests, took to the skies taking off from Headcorn Aerodrome in Kent. Various instructors took the pupils up in the micolight on different flights so that they could all experience a trip in the light aircraft. Even the headmistress got to go up in the aircraft. No doubt a wonderful time was had by all and here at AIB Insurance we would like to congratulate the girls on completing such a wonderful project. What will the girls want to build next?

Those of you who are either the owner of a microlight or are considering buying one will no doubt wish to ensure that it is suitably insured. In this respect, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and we will be pleased to discuss your requirements and arrange to provide a competitive quotation for microlight insurance.

Fancy Owning A Piece Of Elvis Presley Memorabilia?

Many of you will know that Elvis Presley was once renowned as being one of the top singers in the world sometimes being referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll”. He had several number one hits during his music career that ran from the 1950s to the early 1970s. He also appeared in a few films. Unfortunately however, he died at the young age of 42.

Well, if you like vintage planes and were also a fan of Elvis Presley then you may be interested to read that a private jet once owned by him and his father is being auctioned online until the 27^th July by IronPlanet. The plane in question is a 1962 Lockheed Jetstar that was only sold last year for $430,000.

The private jet has been sitting on a runway in New Mexico for around 36 years so it is looking rather worse for wear. Inside, it has red velvet upholstered seats and a red carpet with lots of wood. It is claimed that the interior was designed by Elvis Presley himself. It is worth bearing in mind that this particular plane has no engines and the cockpit is in need of a lot of tender loving care and attention so it sounds like quite a bit of work would need to be done on it before it is considered to be capable of taking to the air under its own power.

Presumably, the price someone is prepared to pay for this plane will be affected by the fact that it was once owned by such an iconic figure who is the biggest selling solo recording artist of all time anywhere in the world. So, if this rather large piece of Elvis Presley memorabilia catches your imagination then you may wish to start bidding on the online auction. If you do then we wish you luck.

High Percentage Of Tyre Treads Below Recommended Limit

As a motorist, you will hopefully be aware that the tyres on your car plus the spare wheel must have a tread depth of at least 1.6 mm to make sure that they are legal. However, the recommended minimum tread depth on a tyre is considerably more at 3 mm.

Research shows that the stopping distance increases significantly when comparing a car that only has a tyre tread depth of 1.6 mm than if the tyres had a tread depth of 3 mm.

According to a Road Safety Factsheet published in October 2017 by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Back in 2016, there were 120 serious injuries and 8 deaths due to road traffic accidents believed to have resulted from either under-inflated, defective or illegal tyres.

Well, you may find it of interest to read that some research has been conducted on behalf of the price comparison website Confused.com relating to tyre tread depths between the 27^th March 2018 and the 29^th March 2018 and the information revealed will no doubt concern you.

The research was undertaken in 10 cities in the UK with 100 vehicles being spot checked in each city making a total of 1,000 vehicles. The cities in which this research was carried out were Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Ipswich, Leeds, London, Manchester and Newcastle.

Of those vehicles inspected, 20.9%, over a fifth, were found to have a minimum of one tyre that had a tread depth of under 3 mm. Even more worrying was that 3% of vehicles checked were found to have at least one tyre with a tread depth of below 1.6 mm.

Edinburgh had the highest number of vehicles that had a minimum of one tyre with a tread depth of less than 3 mm – 27%. Manchester was in second place at 26%. Birmingham was in third place at 23%. Brighton and Newcastle were in joint fourth place at 21%. Bristol was in 6^th place on 20%. Ipswich was in 7^th place on 20%, Cardiff and Ipswich were in joint 8th spot on 19%. In 9^th place was Leeds on 17% and in 10^th spot was London on 16%.

In joint first place for having at least one tyre with a tread depth of less than 1.6 mm were Ipswich and Newcastle on 5%. In joint third place were Edinburg, Leeds, Manchester and Brighton with 4%. In joint seventh spot were Bristol and London on 3%. In ninth place was Cardiff on 2% and in tenth spot was Birmingham with 0%.

You may or may not be aware that there are severe penalties for being caught with a tyre that has a tread depth of below the legal limit of 1.6 mm. You could receive three penalty points on your driving license plus a fine of up to £2,500 for every illegal tyre. This in turn could lead to an increase in your car insurance premiums. So, you may wish to have the tread depth on all your tyres checked to make sure that they are satisfactory.