Have you heard "50 hour/year" rule? Well if you have, disregard it! With a little bit of planning, your airplane investment can pay off with your personal and business flying. Airplanes are unlike other vehicles and actually increase in value over time. Take a look at a Aircraft Blue Book or V-Ref and compare values of some older airplanes. Some are several times their original purchase price! Different airplanes appreciate at different rates, so look for strong manufacturers that will be around years down road.

3. I'm not rich.. . How could I afford an airplane of my own?

THE BIGGIE! New airplanes aren't cheap, but if you can position yourself for financing, airplane can actually PAY YOU for first 3-4 years! Sound impossible? Incentives are in place both from manufacturers (in form of low interest rates) and new tax incentives. With as little as 27% business use , you can depreciate majority of airplane and benefit from associated tax savings. First year may be as much as 80% depreciation for a new aircraft! Additionally, warranty will cover bulk of your maintenance expenses. With regard to "positioning yourself for financing," visit http://www.airplanenoise.com eleclass_schedule.htm

for a free download of "The Secrets of Aircraft Finance Companies." You can also send a blank e-mail to aircraftpurchasesteps@getresponse.com for Aircraft Purchase Wizard, a 9 e-mail series outlining aircraft purchase steps with exclusive links and downloads.

Come on! We all justify our purchases everyday! You didn't really need these tips now, did you?

Now, you get to select one of three available opinion strategies that show you how you will reach your goal: create opinion where there may be none; change existing opinion, or reinforce it. Your public relations goal will lead you to proper strategy selection.

The meat of program is usually message you will send to members of your target audience. After all, that message will be charged with task of altering people’s perceptions, and that means it must be persuasive and compelling. It must also be as clear as possible, and contain facts and figures needed to repair perception damage. In short, your message must be believable. You might also run it by a few members of your target audience to be sure it has desired effect on perception you are striving to alter.

Moving your message to many members of your #1 external audience requires aggressive and carefully targeted communications tactics. Public relations is fortunate to have dozens of such tactics from which to choose. For example, radio and newspaper interviews, letters-to-the-editor, face-to- face meetings and speeches. Or you might select tactics such as facility tours, brochures, community meetings, special events and promotional activity.

In due course, after your communications tactics have spread your message far and wide, you will want to know if you are making any progress. Experience shows that remonitoring your target audience is a must.

You will want to ask same questions of audience members you used during your data gathering exercise at start of program.

Your objective, however, will be different. Now, you will be looking for signs that offending perception has begun to be altered in direction you desire. Should more work be necessary, a possible change in mix and frequency of your communications tactics can be made. And, of course, you would want to review your message for clarity, impact and direction, especially with regard to your supporting facts and figures.

Because we know that predictable behaviors tend to follow changes in perception, your carefully planned public relations effort is well-positioned to create key audience support for management initiatives.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com