NH:Press 4/09/05

ByDanJohnson.com Launches New Features and Content;Celebrates First Anniversary Online
ST. PAUL, MINN. – For pilots and newcomers interested in light-sport aircraft (LSA) and ultralight pilot reports, ByDanJohnson.com offers the Internet’s largest database of pilot reports. On its first anniversary, the website added “SPLOG ByDanJohnson,” a web log (or blog) of light sport aviation observations by Dan Johnson, the site’s author. Additionally, nearly 200 articles have been added to the site’s database in the last year.
“The upgraded site has much new content. In particular, SPLOG will catch the interest of those following developments in light aviation,” said Dan. A sport pilot-oriented takeoff on the popular blog concept, SPLOG is a series of photo and paragraph blurbs often giving advance information about new aircraft that Dan may subsequently cover in full-length aircraft evaluations. SPLOGs will be added weekly, or more frequently if warranted, with a complete archive of this quick-read content available at the click of a mouse. Although the items may present aircraft developments or achievements in the light sport aviation industry, Dan said the site is not a news outlet and is not intended to replace or compete with aviation magazines or news websites. SPLOG is offered for free to all ByDanJohnson.com visitors. Many other articles are also available free of charge.
Since going live one year ago, ByDanJohnson.com has added nearly 200 articles including a wide range of pilot reports, plus a decade’s worth of “Product Lines,” the author’s long-running column in Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine. “We now have more than 600 articles posted to the site, which includes approximately 300 full-length pilot reports, complete with photos, specs, and contact info,” said Dan. Members can access more than a dozen articles for the site’s $29 annual fee, and then can purchase more articles at half-price. Visitors who register (by e-mail address only) can purchase articles individually.
During its first year ByDanJohnson.com also added “SpecCheck,” “Pros & Cons,” and “PlaneView.” These three “buyer’s help” components allow site members to compare aircraft “live on screen,” said Dan, “That’s something you can’t do with printed material.” SpecCheck allows you to match specs on a number of airplanes on one screen, while Pros & Cons allows comparison of many planes in nine categories of evaluation. PlaneView allows make and model viewing of all airplanes evaluated on ByDanJohnson.com.
Dan contributes regularly to several recreational aviation magazines and has 300 ultralight/light-sport aircraft pilot reports published to date. He is the 1999 winner of USUA’s Moody Award, was honored in 2001 by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and was given a 2003 Outstanding Leadership Award from ASTM International for his work on light-sport aircraft standards. Dan also consulted on and narrated the 1998 FAA/EAA video, First Flights in Your Ultralight / Lightplane. Two books and an annual calendar have exclusively featured his flight reports.