Find the Best Airplane for you

Plane Finder 2.0 helps pilots and prospective buyers find the ideal Light-Sport, ultralight, or kit-built aircraft based on flying mission, budget, and experience. Developed by Dan Johnson and hosted on Plane & Pilot Magazine, this free tool simplifies aircraft selection through guided questions and curated recommendations.

Table of Contents

  1. What Is Plane Finder 2.0?
  2. Find Your Plane
  3. Who It’s For
  4. How It Works
  5. Key Features
  6. Why it Matters

What Is Plane Finder 2.0?

Plane Finder 2.0 is a powerful aircraft matching tool developed by Dan Johnson to help pilots and prospective aircraft owners discover the right Light-Sport (LSA), kit-built, or ultralight planes that meet their flying goals and budget. It offers a guided, data-driven experience—designed to simplify aircraft selection and elevate confidence in your purchase decision.

Who It’s For

Plane Finder 2.0 is perfect for:

  • First-time buyers exploring affordable aircraft options
  • Flight instructors recommending aircraft for training fleets
  • Sport pilot candidates who need accessible LSA aircraft
  • Budget-conscious owners seeking high performance within limits
  • Builders evaluating kit aircraft alternatives

How It Works

  • Answer a few questions—flying preferences, experience level, mission type, and budget
  • View tailored results—a ranked list of aircraft suited to your criteria
  • Compare specifications—including power, speed, range, and training suitability
  • Access resources—pilot reports, reviews, and buying advice for each model
  • Review personalized recommendations—and take the next step with confidence

Key Features

  • Intuitive questionnaire with clear, pilot-centric prompts
  • Diverse aircraft database spanning LSA, ultralight, experimental, and light kit types
  • Side-by-side comparisons for specs, cockpit layout, operating costs
  • Expert insights from Dan Johnson, including performance analysis and use cases
  • Direct links to Buying Guides, SLSA and Part 103 Lists, and Pilot Training pages

Why It Matters

Choosing the right aircraft can be overwhelming—especially in the diverse affordable aviation space. Plane Finder 2.0 removes guesswork by matching your mission and abilities with aircraft that truly fit. That means safer flying, better training, and smarter investments—done faster.

Find Your Plane

A word of advice… The system updates the Matching SLSA list after every click. If you click buttons in rapid succession, you may experience an error. Many factors affect website speed, but if you wait half a second between button clicks the system will behave properly.

Registered visitor feature

Use of Plane Finder 2.0 requires a free registration which includes signing up for the ByDanJohnson.com mailing list. We won't share your email with others or overwhelm you with spam. If you are already registered, you will automatically be logged in. If this is your first time using Plane Finder, we only ask for your email address to complete the free registration.

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