Free Directory of Essential LSA Services

SEBRING, FLORIDA (January 17th, 2008) — ByDanJohnson.com went live a few months before the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft rule was announced at AirVenture 2004. Three years later the website has become a valued resource for buyers of LSA, ultralights and kit-built aircraft that Sport Pilots may fly. At the LSA-only trade show in Sebring, Florida, ByDanJohnson.com announced a new resource, the FIRM List ByDanJohnson.

FIRM List stands for Flight Instruction, Rental, and Maintenance of Light-Sport Aircraft. In column form, the directory reveals verified businesses across the USA that provide these services. The list can easily be sorted in a variety of ways to help buyers or potential buyers find places where they can receive these essential services. Links to the FIRM List can be found on the home page of ByDanJohnson.com.

 “However,” said publisher and longtime flight reviewer, Dan Johnson, “the difference with this list is that each and every listing has been personally contacted to assure they truly can provide the listed service.” Businesses offering flight instruction or rental have been called and the N number of their SLSA has been verified. Some are spot checked against the FAA database to be certain the information is correct. Those offering mechanic services have been asked to verify they hold an A&P license or a LSA Repairman Certificate. FIRM List entries will be verified each quarter to assure continued accuracy. “We think buyers should be sure a school actually has a Special Light-Sport Aircraft to offer instruction or rental,” said Randee Laskewitz, who manages the FIRM List entries. “When a buyer clicks on the website for a FIRM List entry, they can be certain that school has and is presently using a SLSA, not still waiting on its delivery.” Though labor intensive, the verification is perceived as a value-added service.

The FIRM List was launched on opening day of the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in a nod to the event’s leadership. In 2008 ByDanJohnson.com signed up to be a sponsor of the event. “When we decided when to announce the FIRM, Sebring was the obvious choice,” expressed Johnson.

Johnson, a recognized expert on light-sport aircraft (LSA) and chairman of the Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association (LAMA), has flown and written pilot reports on more than 300 sport aircraft over the past 30 years. He introduced the informational ByDanJohnson.com website in 2004, and it has become recognized as a valuable resource for all sport pilot enthusiasts, but especially buyers of recreational aircraft.