Future Goals and Passion for Flight

Hi there everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Cloud Base Ma'am. Got a really good show for you today, and I know I say that a lot, but I have been kind of dreaming in some ways of doing this one for years. I heard of Fatima Ftikari, which I hope I've said that correctly and asked her that a few times. From Iran, I've been I heard about her years ago when Nick Reese went over to Iran and flew with her. So heard a lot about her through Jody and I've been following her on the socials for quite some time. We sat down for this one when she was competing in the SRS in Italy. She had left uh Iran during the war to go compete in the SRS and get a breather from what was going on. I just thought that this time in particular, of course, given the situation in Iran in the US and Israel would be a really fascinating time to sit down and talk to Tatama who is known as the Queen of Iran's skies. She was the only woman for a very long time from Iran who was competing internationally and is a very good pilot and instructor and started the Women's Flight Society and has been really instrumental in getting a whole bunch of women in Iran into the air and also talk about flying in Iran and those incredible 6,000 meter bases . There was just so much to hit here and she did a terrific job of articulating uh just what's going on and what it's like to be in Iran during the war right now and what it's like to participate in something that is you know ultimately freedom, freedom in the skies, and freedom, free choice to do what you want to do, and uh her insights were fascinating and inspiring , a lot of fun. And regardless of your position on this war, I think you'll get a lot, you know you'll have uh get a lot out of this and really enjoy it and really inspired to go fly and every time I talk to someone from Iran and the the flying they have, I was like, God, I've gotta get over here and uh send it to those folks. So Optima is a sender in a lot of different things. And we had a blast with this. Enjoy. The last time we tried this you were still in Iran and that makes it well, we shouldn't say too much there. That makes it a little bit trickier. But now you're in Italy at the SRS. Today was was day one. And I have been told by so many people that I have to get you on. So I've been following you for a while on Instagram and you just what an amazing life. They call you this is a very long intro here, but they call you the Queen of the Queen I understand you're the first female pilot in Iran and the first who has qualified for things like the World Cup and you're over there racing in the S R S you're starting to get red there on me. Uh starting to blush a little bit. But the let's let's start that for so first of all, just welcome. But let's start there. There's a lot of stuff I want to ask you. I mean, it's a very interesting time to be talking to a pilot in Iran. But let's start there. How did you become the queen of Iran skies? How did you become a pilot in Iran? Because that's you know, there are more constraints on females in Iran than in other places sometimes. I want it I want you to tell me about that. But uh how did this how did you get into it and and how did you become a pilot and what is what did that journey look like for you? First of all hi and thanks for having me here and um yeah i i if i want to talk about myself myself i i was I grew up in Isvaha. It's uh one of the biggest city in Iran and I can say growing up in uh this city can be really different. Depend on your family and I was lucky. So in my family, my courage was admired and I started to learn a lot of skills and activity since I was very young because uh yeah I I I was just um in the society and family that uh all these things that I like to do like swimming, uh roll blading , um like horse rid ing, um even bicycle and motorcycles were something that my dad and my mom were supporting me to do, and all of these activities give me um courage and I mean as a little girl uh I I had the courage to and I I I felt like I can do the special things, you know, and I think it was the beginning of getting to this guy because I was eighteen years old and I just saw an advertising about paragliding which I didn't have any idea what it should be. Just online. I found it and I called and I asked if it's possible to go for women. I mean, women also can go for this course, and the guy said yes, and I just in the next day, I was there with my dad and my brother who was uh who is four years younger than me, and we registered. So yeah, I like to fly. I had no idea what is a power gallery? I had no idea how it should be, but I wanted to just be in the sky because I used to dream that I'm flying since I was five years old, maybe, and I was already professionally swimming or horse riding or bicycling or rollerblading and all of this stuff. So um yeah, and it just started like that . But um to be honest, being the best and the first for women in something like this is easy in Iran. And that's why I become the first and the best because it was not like a lot of women doing things, or um, I can say it at time I I I could remember girls was starting power gliding, but uh it was always like a limit for them, and I was the girl who I was growing up with the idea that I I have no nothing can stop me and I being a girl doesn't make me to be less uh to to have less ability in comparison to the boys. Is that really different for you compared to your friends growing up and other women in Iran? Is it uh were you were you quite unusual or is this normal that you know from a as an outsider all we hear is the stuff on the news right and the only the only the only pilot that who I I had uh so hail on the on the podcast years ago and I I see him all the time around the world. But uh you know, other than my good friend Nick who went over and flew there, there's there's not we don't have that much information other than we know that the flying is epic. You've, you know, 400k flights are regular and your 5,000 meter base, which is where I where I live, it's you know, the flying is big and strong and really cool there. We know that, but were you quite unusual ? Was that very different than your peers Um no, I was not that much different. Um the thing is that living in Iran is really um you have to understand how the society is working, you know? I I will I will tell you some some samples. For example, like 60% of seats in university belongs to women. Since I was like since 30 years ago. So it means that women are educated, high educated, and it's really also admired for women to continue to go to school and um do business so they owning business they are in the family they they they have their personality they have uh independency but um it also depends on uh your family and your um I mean people who are around you. Because the problem is that the laws in the country are is not supporting women or children like it should be. So the development comes from inside the families and and inside the people's home. So I mean um when when you see the the societies it should be like the the um government and law should be ahead of women. But in our country women are ahead uh uh society is ahead. So if you are in a bad relationship, for example, you will lose a lot because it is not good support uh according too low for women but if you look at normal people's lives i mean um in the families women have their um uh personality they they have they they they they own things , they are encouraged to work, to educate, to be educated, but then it also depends. Then uh, I mean, if you are in lower level of the community, if you are in uh bad um I mean environment that then it affects you and you might lose a lot. So this is basically what I can explain. But it's also not that much common for women to be really I I mean it you if not uh well I mean seventeen years ago twenty years ago when I started power gli ding uh for women it's it was always better to be high educated and uh be independence at work, but not be really uh in sport activities. And but uh my mom was really supporting me. My mom teached me to swim when I was four years old and we were swimming in the rivers or lakes. And at that day we also used to cover more, you know. I we I I I I used to swim with the full dress and my mom also. So she was kind of over over of I mean um sh she is a kind of a special woman. She is brave and she is not follow all the routines. So she decides what is right, what is wrong, and uh push forward. And my dad also was suffering. So I can remember I was maybe 10 years old and my dad told me your mom is the bravest um person I've ever known, I ever seen, and if you could be like half of her brave, then you would be happy in your life. So it it was like my mom and my dad also was a little bit different. Um that's why I was really into um my activities like um all of the sports and then all of these things but totally new society women are um having their own normal lives and the thing is that if you just go I mean I I travel around the world and here in Europe also, paragoliding or being really active in this kind of sport also here is not that much common for women. And I mean I am distributor of skyvike. I was I was in a Skylab distributor meeting two years ago. It was uh dealers all around the world sitting there and I was the only girl from Iran. So this is this is uh yeah, this is like this, uh everywhere, not just in Iran, by the way. I can tell already that you're quite humble, but you're also uh you know, you're you're pretty I mean according to my research and tell me if I'm wrong, but you're you're a heck of a pioneer for what you have accomplished there. You're a dealer. You set up the Women's Flight Society. For years, I believe you were the only woman competing internationally in paragliding from Iran, uh the only one competing in PwC . I'd love to just hear what that was like , especially when you traveled. Was it was it was it lonely? Was it difficult? I mean, even you know, it it is a very male-dominant sport. And we've done a lot of podcasts over the years about just uh how you can support female pilots versus they don't just get out of their way. I mean you know what I mean? We we don't need to they don't need anything. They're just as good. They're they're better. So you um but I I'd like to just hear what was hard about that? What was it lonely? Was it uh you know it it's tough sometimes being a pioneer? Yeah. I can remember I started and I was after two years I was uh flying X T and I flew my first uh 100 kilometer. I participated in um a cross country course that was the first cross country course in uh Iran that was uh Mohammed my now he is also uh we are in a team he is my uh partner in our uh team and group so now we are uh working together but at that time he was the instructor so I participated the course and and next season I flew 100k and I was I was um super excited about all of these things and then I understood after like one year okay all of my friends are boys . And I tried to I try to be part of the team. So I tried to be accepted by the by the boys because it was just me and all of them. And then I started to think okay what what is wrong why why I cannot see other girls flying in this level. I mean I I told you they start but they never take it serious and they ne they never flew, for example, cross-country. So it was a hard time for me. It was a hard time because I I felt like why? And I I I have this kind of feminist way of thinking so I always wanted to say women can do. So I I didn't like that uh boys just underestimate women's ability and I wanted to prove that women can do. so I can remember that period of time maybe takes me three to four years that I was under pressure to show that uh women can fly X and it's not just a um i mean main things to do and um so i pushed i really try to start this uh kind of NGO that you mentioned, I gather girls together, try to convince them to participate at the courses. And um it was like uh you you asked what was what was difficult. So the difficult part was that I couldn't convince them that they can do that . So it takes me ages to prove that you I mean I I I I was experienced pilot already. I could see them that they can fly they can tell Malling good . But when we started to talk about okay, let's go some serious exceed the always said no, this is not a girl thing to do. Or my instructor told me this is not a girl thing to do. It's too dangerous. It's too difficult. And and it the the the fifth difficult part was just make them believe that they can do that. And I I can remember I I told uh a girl that okay, I'm I'm flying uh now it's like maybe four or five years and I'm flying one hundred K, one hundred fifty, 1 17, less than two, two hundred that days, and she told me my instructor told me uh you are not a real girl . So so yeah, yeah, just you just can't and I'm not that much uh boy style of I mean I I'm girly and I was I was just shocked and you know so when people don't want to accept that they can do something they can go this far so they i I mean I I was a sample there for years and I told them that you can do this as I can do, and then they said you are not so the the mean be uh me being a girl was questioned now and it was it was interesting and it was also something that um I mean changed my view. I understood we women have a imaginary roof on top of our head . So we've been told to follow our dreams. But we've have to first start to be able to dream big. Big enough to pass this imaginary roof on top of all women head and then as soon as someone just go I mean pass it then it would be easy it it then it's uh it's open so I told you I started to kind of convince some good pilots that you can come to the courses, cross country courses. And it took me some years, but I can clearly remember the day that we I flew with the in the cour se with another girl with and she was flying 100 kilometers and I was crying in the air because I felt like my dream coming true. Now I prove everyone that this is something that girls can't do. And I was flying with a second girl and third girl and fourth girl and now I mean after like fifteen years, eighteen years, I I I even don't know the numbers, but I have no idea how many girls in Iran are flying cross countries and even the best record is not mine. So this is uh yeah so this is this is awesome. That's awesome. So and that that was that that all came that all came out of this is that what it's called? The women's flight system not all of them c come out of that effort, but I mean fifteen years ago I started this uh eighteen years ago maybe and I pushed for it and the yeah the first and second and third and fourth girl who flew 100k I was flying with them. It was a course that I was one of the instructors. And then you know it was just this imaginary ro of was just broken. So no women could think bigger. And then every instructor all around the country can can coach their students in the sky and not tell them you are not you are a girl, you cannot participate the course. So it changed, and I was so proud that I could do that. And I can remember that days, it was my biggest sad ness, and then it became my biggest biggest hack happiness. So my dream came true. And then um yeah, but I want to tell you something. I used to think that this is because I'm in Iran , and then I started to travel all around the world and I saw this imaginary roof on top of all women's heads all around the world. It's more or less like that, but we prefer to stay in under this comfort zone because it's easier, it's safer. If something is not for you, then you have an excuse to not really push for it. And I understood this is happening not just in paragliding. It's happening in everywhere you know I mean even in our i mean my family business uh I can see that women who work it's like a production environment so women are working better but it's more difficult to convince them to be in the higher levels to be in the managing levels because it's need break that it needs more responsibil ity and it's safer and easier for them to just stay in a lower level and they are happy with the lower income with lower I mean so this is this is what I don't like about being a woman. And I think I mean most of my life I was pushing to just fighting against this. And I think it's because maybe my personal ity, my grandmother is like me. So she was like in his she she's 90 years old and she she have two university degrees and she was driving since like two years ago. And she is a special woman and I think it's also it's because my mom was a special per had a special personality that I always couldn't accept just this is not for you because you are a woman. So this is not acceptable for me. And this was my story and the difficult part of I mean flying was uh all of these things for me. When you you've traveled a ton, you know, you're in Italy right now at the S RS. How what have you seen? How how would you compare if you're a an Italian female getting into the sport or a Czech female getting into sport or anywhere in the Alps versus Iran or in the States. I don't know if you've flown over here too, but what's what's different? Is it I mean is it is it it sounds like societally it's pretty accepted for women to go to university , start businesses, be successful. What about with flying? Is it uh is there more of a no you can't do this than other places ? Uh at the moment no. It's really like here or even if you go to a Iranian flying site you would see I mean in comparison to the whole number you can see more women on the on the flying sites in Iran at the moment. So girls uh yeah yeah and I Wow No no it's not no I know you're not gonna take credit you know then I also started, I can remember in our course we were fifteen and maybe six was six girls was in the course. So girls yeah, girls used to start at that time too but it was just a limit so they were they were the weakest they were the less um they they were less capable I mean according to instructors but But um uh here in Basano where I am, I mean this is kind of the best pilot women pilots ever now in this competition. So not talking about this competition, but I've been traveling to normal flying sites and I'm washing because it's something that I'm always thinking, that how these things are different. For sure, you can see a lot of fly uh girls uh in Iranian flying sit es and it's uh equal or even higher number in Iran. Uh and now as I told you girls are flying also very good and now the idea that that that old fashioned idea um for the flying and paragoliding for women is completely changed at the moment in the country. And my story is uh going back to 20 years ago when I started and eighty or seventy years ago when I was pushing for X C back there at home. Uh let's talk about the actual that's amazing and also super inspiring. Uh but let's talk about the actual flying. You know, I had Sohail on years ago after he had just done some huge flight. I can't remember uh if it that was the record at the time, but you know, six thousand meter bases, yeah, four hundred K flights. He was talking about that he sometimes to do these downwinders, he'll take an airplane to the other side of the country and then and then fly with the jet stream back and fly back to Tehran. So uh the but I also know from Nick that there's some very strict air spaces. I imagine right now I can't imagine flying is very safe with the war going on and we'll get to the war and and all that here in a little bit, but I I'd love to just hear about what happens when you're flying in Iran with all this stuff you were just talking about, the constraints, the the difficulties, the airspace, the military. I remember there, you know, Nick was talking about there are places where you just absolutely cannot land. Uh does when you leave when your feet leave the ground, do all these restrictions evaporate and you're just I mean it's the it's the ultimate freedom, right? That's what we're all chasing is freedom it to fly. Talk about that just in that context with flying in Iran. Yeah. Uh to be honest , uh you are uh like hundred percent free in Iran in comparison to Europe. Um because I mean for example Switzerland is just unbelievable it's uh airspace lower amount so I I never can I I never can imagine myself flying in Switzerland because I have no idea and I'm um super. So Iran is big and um like we have some restricted area uh which is kind of uh some certain numbers that are obvious, you know them, you shouldn't go flying toward them, and um yeah the yeah it's just easy and and uh you know i mean the story of uh we started um big cross country and my my experience of uh six thousand eight hundred meter altitude. Those days we didn't even have this restricted area on our GPS. We just go fly. And Soheil himself had landed in some uh next to one of the nuclear zooms. And yeah, they they they ask asking you. So it is the listing that they can do. So they just keep you and ask you and as soon as they understand you are just a crazy pilot, you are free to go. But it's it's about Iranians. So I highly recommend you to not to do so if you are not Iranian because it might cause a lot of problems. But for us no, I think Iran is a big country and I don't find it difficult to do cross country organizing competitions or uh flying. But at the moment we are in war. So no one is flying. I uh I doubt even birds can fly at the moment uh without getting shot. But uh uh normally I mean since I started I I just never care about where I shouldn't go I just knew that okay east to Is vahan, just don't pass 100k. Or if you fly that long way that we normally do our records from Kerman Shah to our Tehran side, I know that next to Hamadan is a nuclear is is a um I mean military base so just go this direction and um I I never got in really big troubles. Yeah, I I landed several times and police came and even they took me to ask some questions, but because I was close to some uh military area landing . But for Iranian I don't see it like really a trauma or or a big um problem flying XC . Yeah. It's like that . When you when you travel, I know you've competed in Kazakhstan and Turkey and right now you're in Italy. When you leave Iran to to fly, to travel, to participate in the things that you love to do, which is not only paragliding I i've've just followed you on instagram you do all kinds of stuff uh easier harder a relief is it big breath of fresh air because you're just traveling or uh yeah yeah we'll talk about that it it's really different uh for example um when you come to when I come to European country for um uh flying or competitions , you can see lots of things here is easier because everything already has been setted and the nature in here is designed for this sport. Our nature is full of dust, so we are fighting hard for for being able to reach I mean for preparing a takeoff we have to spend a lot of money to just make it cle an, but here is just grass. So um you can see in this European country lots of things is easier or lots of these things is more organiz ed . But when you go to Iran, I mean and European my European friends who come to Iran like um lots of them. The fair I mean after two weeks traveling with me and flying, uh, I like this comment. I they told me, wow, you are really, really free . And this is you know, we can do whatever we want. We can park everywhere, we can camp everywhere, we can take off everywhere, we can n nothing is like uh stopping. You can land everywhere and everyone is welcoming. So you land in every land and people come with tea and it's welcoming. But here in Europe people are um it's a lot of things to do or not to do. To to it's a lot of things that you have to pay for it for uh and you know we a lot of things is cheaper, easier and faster in my country. But yeah, you have to just um I mean be uh for sure for for a foreigner, this is different. But also as a foreigner, if you are in touch with the local, then life is like 100% much more easier for you because you know the first Iranian culture is hospitality. And if you are a guest, then you are just welcome and everything is like okay and easy for you. But yeah, if if I want to compare for sure like Kazakhstan or Nepal or East Asia , I don't see any advantages in comparison to my country. In European country, you can see the advantage is that this is uh lots of things already ready and lots of natur al things is like um making it easy to handle stuff. Um but it's also much more expensive and sometimes like not easy to handle here . I really believe that people in the world have no idea about my country . And yeah, it's it sometimes surprised me, it's sometimes even make me sad . But um I also I I wrote some sentences that I like to read for you maybe because I don't want to miss it about about my country. And then uh then i i maybe uh and after that i can answer also your qu questi on so you know iran is a large country in middle east and it's seventeenth largest country in the world. So we also have a very amazing natural diversity that makes it almost a paradise for outdoor activities. We have high mountains, we have forests, snow, sea, lakes , and it's a country of four season. So we also have peaks above four thousand meters, we have long mountain range, we have cloth base as high as seven thousand meters altitude that you already mentioned. And we have green fields, we have deserts with sand dunes, beautiful coastlines, and thick forests . So this is this is something that I'm pretty sure most of the people don't know. So when I talking about Iran, most of my foreigner uh peop uh friends just assume it's a dessert with some palm tree. And and they told me. So I mean this diversity of nature they have no idea. But I want to tell you something else. The reality , I mean that the the things that defines Iran for me is not landscapes, it's about people . Iranian are a special people, I think, because they have an incredible ability to survive, to continue and find a reason to celebrate life. You know, we all always find a reason to to be happy, to dance, to gather together, to cook, share food and partying around. And I mean it is something that I also find it special while I was travel traveling. Especially European country you this is something like this is really rare. So if you ever travel to Iran, the first thing that captures you will probably not be the historical monuments or the nature, it will be the hospitality hospitality of the people. And I mean Iranian culture is deeply based on welcoming guests and I mean people always say and most of my friends told me when they were leaving that you you arrive in this country as a visitor and you are living as a friend, and it's uh so true. And that's why most of my European friends, very close friends, are the ones that they were traveling to Iran and I met them back there in Iran. So when I'm coming here, they are just super open and friendly and hospitable for me because I think this is something that they learn and they like to to do uh or behave like that. That's lovely. I'm glad you wrote that out. Uh okay, let's go to the current situation a bit. And I know you know there was quite a bit of civil stuff going on before all of this happened. And so things have been very active in your country for a while for uh in this recent thing for terrible reasons. But uh so it's it's it's very turbulent right now and I'm just gonna read read my own question. Uh for someone whose life is built around freedom yours l,iterally physical freedom in the sky. What what does it mean to be a pilot, to be a citizen of Iran right now? You know, when we tried to connect a couple weeks ago while you were in Iran , it was you said, Yeah, I'm going kite surfing. And I thought, wow, that's bizarre. How do you go kite surfing when the war is going on? So I what paint us a picture. What what does this war look like? It looks like there might as of right now that uh it looks like there might be a chance it it ending the war, at least uh stopping it for some time. But what has it been like to live there recently again I'd love for you to hit on misconcep misconceptions. What what do the people think of the war of about losing the supreme leader, about the all of it? Uh and you're in Italy, I think you can talk freely, but uh it l you know, if if if you can't fully I understand. But I'd I'd love to just hear from an insider what it what's it like leading. Um the thing is that um for most of uh people out of Iran they uh because I ran is in headlines for years for nuclear for war and sentences like this but since I was born born, that is like 37 years ago, there was no war in Iran . And um when we when the war started, it was unbelievable, it was thrill and really scary for all of us. So uh we haven't been in any war before, you know, because because I know that people might imagine that it's that part of the war in Middle East is always war. But Iran was uh like always a peaceful country for me. And now the war started. So uh yeah the it it started with some uh attacks to certain military areas and specific targets in Tehran for sure. It was super scary. The sound of explosion every night . So this this fighter jets every night so you can watch them and then you can see the explosion in like some uh some around you in terror this was super scary and many people left their houses, their the city. They go to their relatives to safer places or small smallest towns. In my city, Ismahan , that situation was a bit calmer. The neighborhood closed the military bases was uh still really scary . Um we knew that they are not target ing houses or people but um it's still some people got the uh got hurt or got killed because they were they were targeting the apartment that some special person was inside so the whole uh people who was living there got hurt or injured which was like really sad . So yeah this is like um this was scary everyone. But uh the biggest problem about the war for me, I mean or in my idea was that life was stopped . So it means that you wake up in the morning and you don't really know what to do today. You just have to follow follow the news. Okay. Looking for any new information or try to predict the future and it was unbelievable and it was after after a few days, you know, it started to be really like being in prison because you you cannot really do anything for especially for us you know we are pilots we are just uh I mean get used to be out and at a time I I just was like uh in a big uh pressure because I didn't know how how things would go and what what should we do or what would be the next step or uh so this was the big problem for me. Economy slowdown and uh plans are uncertain. You also are wor you worry about all the people that you know, so you try to contact them, but it's not possible to contact because net was complet ely I mean dead n no internet at all for the first the first days it was not even possible to call anyone so it was it was um really like a nightmare that was not ending and um but as I told you like um Iranian are interesting for me. They they try to find small reason to continue life and they started to gather families. I mean they started to find a reason to cook, dance, like like a pandemic, uh we we started to just cook because you cannot go out, you cannot do anything, so we just started to make a cake or bake uh bread, you know meh because because it's nothing else that you can do. Make the best of it. Yeah during the war many cities hosted friends and relatives who left Tehran temporarily and um yeah that was like that so then um the nor uz arrived you know norus is our Iranian new year and it's a in the first day of spring, which is celebrating the birth of a nature. And for Iranian it's some s really big some symbol of rebirth and uh it is the most important um celebration of the year and Iranian celebrated new year just in the middle of the war . So So it was interesting also. People were like just imagine a Christmas time . It's uh that everyone is going sh to shopping, new year, presents, gifts , gathering together, and it was in the middle of bombing every day. So but Iranian celebrated it and it also was really beautiful and interesting for me. Wow . What what is the kind of general sentiment of the people towards the Israelis, towards the Americans right now? Is it just hate? Is it acceptance? Is it hopeful ? Is it optimistic? Is it what what uh what do you think people are feeling right now? Um I mean when you look at the society, I mean historic ally Iranian people feel culturally really close to American people because values like personal freedom , property rights, and uh like like to Iranian like to have business, you know? It's like most uh most like American way of thinking in comparison to, for example, European, which is more socialist, you know what I mean? So um I think um for Iranian, I mean uh yeah US government now is attacking but uh first of all uranians feel really uh f have have friendship relationship uh fr uh really friendly friend relationship with uh US people and um where when I also want to talk about I mean with Israel Iranians have this um sympathized uh with Palestinians because of the things that happened to them. But also Iranians also don't feel uh any any like don't find themselves enemies of Israelian people also so what israeli uh government is doing is uh not not uh not uh acceptable for most of the Iranians not all of them to Palestinians but on the other hand you know it's a lot of Iranian who live in uh Israel. So it's also lots of things in common that the Iranian who immigrated to Israel, the the Jewish Iranians. So by the end, Iranians don't find themselves to have any problem with United American people or Israeli people or Palestinian people. And we end up having this war. And about this war this is big conflicts, this is big disagreements. Maybe it's the same in US at the moment. So some people were supporting and uh now we end up I mean just what's the point ? The war is end or going to be end soon and it cost a lot for Iranian people and nothing changed. Some people uh wanted it, some people didn't want it. But lots of people used to think that it will end different, but now I think most of the people don't uh uh are Yeah, it must be a must be a very strange and it I'm sure uh scary time to to to be there. I'm I'm I bet it's uh a bit of a relief to be in Italy and just flying your paraglider. It's gotta be a bit of a yeah, but to be honest, I didn't feel that I'm not safe when I was in inside the country. I even we were talking with my parents that do we need to maybe go for some months out in Turkey or because it's possible for us anyway. And then we decided no, we will stay home. And it's interesting I if I tell you that since the war started, it was a lot of Iranian going back rushly to the country. And yeah, you expect that they would run out, but they were run in . So I'm telling you Iranian are different and sometimes interesting even for me as an Iranian. So yeah, they just was rushing going back because they were worried about families, friends, their business because of not having uh lack of the cone so and they really didn't afraid of being hurt or kill as a person who is not uh let's pretend that the the war wasn't happening and you were back home and participating and flying and you're you're up on launch and uh a young Iranian girl comes up to you, you know, you're you're the queen of I Iran skies and she's heard about you and she wants to learn. This is her first possible you know, she's she's gonna take her first flight and she comes up to you with big wide eyes and asks you, uh, you know, can she learn how to do this? Can she learn how to be a pilot? What what do you tell her, that little girl? What do you tell her about what she'll face, maybe what she'll gain, why she should do we want to fly? Because um maybe uh according to my experience, most of them want to fly because they want to do something with full of adernality, which is not the case, or they want to do something special as a something like a luxury things, which I don't see it um either. I mean for flying I need a special character and personality and I at least I want them to know what is it really ? So that's why I always ask them why do you want to fly? And based on uh according to their answer, I can help them to start or I can convince them to go and do something else, not wasting their time, energy, and money and mine. So the the reasons have to be pure in their heart. They have to want to be a bird. They have to want to fly, not to just participate in something like a Disneyland ride. That's nice. That's a great way to go about it. What what's your what's the reason for this? What's the what's the purpose ? That's a smart way to start. Yeah, for for being a good pilot you need to want to fly, you know, you need to be patient, you need to try hard, you need to push your limits, you need to put time and energy . And I I just don 't want to I mean flying is something special for me. And I just don't want to make it like a it's not a just a business, you know. It's easy to just uh I mean, but it's for me it's not like that. So uh and I don't want to people start and be disappointed. So I want them to know what they are going to face. I mean what they are going through. What is the past? What is what is what is the procedure. And I this is something that I also wish someone else would do that for me. So if I'm asking about something , if someone knows, I expect them to explain for me what is it really or what challenges I might face or yeah this is simply what I would do what I what I expect and that's that's uh what I would do. I I gather you've been flying about twenty years now. Uh when you think about tomorrow and a year and five years down the road, what are you excited about now after all this time flying and competing and what keeps you going? What are you excited about? Um yeah, I I'm um I was doing a lot of different things and I found out that anything else like um anything else that I'm doing, it gives me the feeling of like this level, maybe 10 %, 20% , and when I'm in the sky, it's 100% . So when I'm not in the sky, I just miss it. I simply miss it . And um it h appens like every year several times for me that I'm in the sky and I doing a special experiment in the sky, fly somewhere, go somewhere, I mean, experience something that I'm really I'm thinking that wow, if I was, if I had to learn all of these things for 20 years to be able to do this flight, just this one , and be just now at this location and watching this view, it's totally worth it. Just for this one, and this is simply what uh uh makes me not to be able to quit. So I my my goal is to continue doing this this as long as possible. That's why I really am taking care of myself, I'm not risking that much recently. I'm now I'm I'm I'm getting old. I'm 37 now. So uh my my uh my way of flying is now different and I really the taking care of myself I uh I because I want to do it uh for maybe uh next fifty years or something . And I don't want to I because I know I will miss it. I would miss it. And I simply cannot quit. N ice. And a perfect place to stop. Fatami, you're great. You're s I've I I I I've just got new wrinkles in my face. I've been smiling for so long. Uh thank you so much. I really appreciate you making this happen. I just thought the timing had to be now for this given what's going on in the world. And I've really enjoyed following you uh all these years doing cool things and I thank my my ex-partner Jody for putting me on. She said, you've got to get I just texted her actually a couple hours ago. Yeah, I'm getting Pottam on the show. So well good luck in Italy. Good luck at the SRS. Uh have fun and in Bassano and you must eat at the Abbe y. Just check it out. I went there eight nights in a row back many, many years ago when the weather was terrible. The food is so good. So enjoy and uh fly fast and fly safe and thanks for coming on the show. I really appreciate you. Yeah, thank you for you to having me. I also want to thank the SRS organizer, Brett, and everyone, because yeah, they helped me really to get here. We had a problem for registration and everything. And I I really am thankful about all of this good atmosphere here in SRS and Basano . They they are making a really nice things like sport class competitions. I I really like it and I also am so super happy that I could manage to get here. It's I I thought it might be difficult, but yeah, here I am and I I'm looking forward to fly uh this week and thank you for you um that I was listening your podcast and I understood I mean I I I I really appreciate the people who makes this paragolizing things uh bigger or more more um give give the possibility for uh people who even not flying be a little bit more deep into it. So thank you for your all of the things that you are doing. And thank you for having me. Thank you. Thank you Father. I appreciate it. And yeah, it's an amazing community. We're we're both very fortunate to be part of it. Thank you. Thank you and good luck. 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