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Dubai: Two Iranian pilots touched down in Dubai for a few days last week as part of a Flight for Freedom mission the pair embarked on to spread a message of strength and support to Iranian people.
Farhad Rostampour, 49, based in the United States, and Arshid Moti-Ghavanin, 36, based in the UK, set off from South Carolina in the US on June 2 with the aim of being the first two Iranians to circle the globe in a single engine, six-seat plane.
The trip has already taken them from the United States to Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, England, France, Spain, Morocco, Austria, Germany, Turkey and Azerbaijan before landing in the UAE.
Limitations
"We have had some limitations and of course we only have one engine so if it goes that's it. From Turkey to Azerbaijan we flew at 21,000 feet but we still had clouds ahead of us. We've been at some high altitudes in the Middle East," said Rostampour, the pilot.
The trip is scheduled to take six weeks and the pilots say they are currently on track to finish on time. Rostampour flew over Iran but did not land there. "I did that flight alone because Arshid was a bit worried. We weren't allowed to land," he said.
"We want to encourage the Iranian people to accomplish what they want. We want to encourage them to exercise their abilities," he said.
"When I flew over Shiraz I asked permission to fly over Persepolis but was declined, but as I was moving away I thanked the air traffic controller in Farsi. He reacted quite differently and was very interested in what we were doing. Other pilots then picked up the conversation on the air waves and were so interested. It was very good to be bonding and chatting for about 30 minutes," said Rostampour.
Co-pilot Moti-Ghavanin said he wanted to spread the message of friendship from Iranians to the world. "We want to live in a green world of peace, not a red world of war. We are seeing a lot of people from a lot of cultures and it's really enjoyable to be doing this mission," he said. "I've wanted to be a pilot since I was 16 and took my first flight in 2003. I've done this before and gone such long distances but I really feel I'm doing a mission for my country. We're setting an example for the next generation," he added.
During the trip, the duo have seen amazing icescapes, and the sprawling desert-scapes of the UAE and Middle East. "In Greenland we saw some fantastic icebergs and mountains but here at 15,000 feet you really feel the heat. We've been through so many different environments and settings," said Rostampour. The trip is being funded by Rostampour and no sponsors have been sought. "We want to do this independently," he said.
For more information visit http://freedomflight.info/en/index.php
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