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With the January 1999 issue of Air Sports International we move into our second year of Publishing the magazine (netzine) on the net. Twelve issues ago when we first started we were not too sure of how our readership would react to the change over from the print media to the electronic media. Twelve issues later we find a great deal of acceptability from virtually all our readers. There is no doubt a great bit of disappointment from those who in the past gave away complimentary copies of the Magazine as part of their Public Relations efforts on behalf of Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI). That is not possible with the netzine. The magazine in itself is a very important tool for the FAI for its PR build up. Such a tool is indeed most useful to build up the image of an organisation. Handing out or mailing complimentary copies of an in house journal or newsletter is of great help to draw attention to all the good work being done by any organisation. It was to this end that we planned to have twelve issues published in a year on the net and if finances permitted, have a thirteen issue - an Annual Number in the print format. During the first year this has not been possible but being an incorrigible optimist, I still believe that we will generate good advertising support in 1999 to enable us to get the 1999 Annual printed. Those of us who have been regularly reading the netzine would have noticed that we have lately introduced a provision for downloading monthly issues and there after read it - pictures and all - by the fireside in our living rooms. Perhaps even pass on copies to our friends and thus partially overcome the absence of printed issues of Air Sports International. In the current issue we have an unusual feature, a day by day account of the recent attempt by BRANSON and his team to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon, as reported by the print media worldwide. I noted with delight the PR management of this event and the cooperation given by all the important and well known international news agencies and newspaper around the world. Clips were also shown on TV regularly. We thus had our full story on the very day it ended ! We have reproduced some of the newspaper clippings for the benefit of our readers who may have missed reading about the event in their own newspapers. Apart from this major story, we also have the usual compliment of stories of recent events, collecting them has been a daunting task. I do hope you enjoy reading them. May I take thus opportunity of wishing all our readers - Greetings of the Season and a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
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