Here's a beautiful story I've just lived and that I'd like to share with anyone who has two minutes of time and the desire to read me. I have a flying school in Tuscany and I often receive a great many professional calls. But this June morning, I received a very special one, with a particular request. A dear friend and former student needed a favor, a big favor, and didn't know which saint to turn to. In practice, his partner was a friend of a young Norwegian, “Sebastian”: a splendid 25-year-old guy with an out-of-the-ordinary intelligence and an incredible zest for life, coupled with an overflowing enthusiasm and likability. Sebastian has just one little problem: he's missing his arms and legs.
Ketty, Giulio's partner, told me it was Sebastian's great desire to be able to fly at least once in his life and that she had searched in vain for someone willing to devote a bit of time to make her friend's dream come true. I wanted to meet this guy in person and one day he was brought to my house. I was awkward at first, I didn't know what to do or what to say. Then he, with his intelligence and absolute serenity, put me at ease and allowed me to communicate with his own calm. A truly incredible person.
At that moment, his desire became mine and together, all together, we looked for a way to make his dream come true. The problem at the start was that he would slip out of the harness, because the leg straps had no attachment point, the legs being completely missing. So we used a harness with a particular type of closure with only two ventral points and we closed up the whole lower part with straps, creating a sort of sack. Then, this specific harness was fitted with a belt at the waist that kept the passenger well in place and without the possibility of sliding forward. We thought at that moment we had managed to create an ideal and personalized harness for Sebastian, but we were sorely mistaken. The biggest problem, we hadn't seen at all. In fact, when we hooked ourselves up to the flight simulator with the tandem spreaders, we realized that, lacking the weight of the legs, the harness tended to tip backward, the whole center of gravity of the body being shifted toward the head. So we made sure to put on “stays” that keep the harness as straight as possible and we waited for a good day to complete the work.
We set off, ten of us. Ten of us with a single goal… to make Sebastian fly. All to the takeoff at S. Giuliano (Pisa). Two guys, having gone off with their respective wings to go test the aerology, passed thumbs-up above the takeoff, indicating to us that the day was optimal for what we had to do, then they went immediately to the landing field below to be there at the exact spot where I would touch the ground and thus help me guarantee an ultra-soft contact for our friend Sebastian.
There was little wind at the takeoff, just enough to raise the tandem “French-style”, then off, running with Sebastian hanging with all his weight and the guys in line helping me in the run, pushing me in turns. Perfect takeoff, a clean detachment and there we are in the air. Sebastian is like crazy. He says words and phrases of absolute joy and I… have a lump in my throat. It was worth it… by God it was worth it. He tells me it's the most beautiful moment of his life, and I, known for my “wild boar” grace, melt like ice cream in the sun. I keep him up in the air as long as possible, exploiting to the maximum the meager conditions of the day, but I keep him up in the air, with a pickaxe but I keep him up in the air. After about half an hour, I head toward the landing field where everyone is waiting for me and I land in the midst of a crowd of guys who bend over backward to grab Sebastian and set him down gently on the ground.
What emotion, guys. What a beautiful thing. We all foolishly thought we were doing Sebastian a favor, and instead it was he who did one for us. By making us feel good. So good as we hadn't felt in a long time, and proud of having done something good. Sebastian, literally crazy with happiness, wanted to hug us all, but he couldn't, he had nothing to do it with. So, with his head, he leaned on us as a sign of gratitude. What a shock, guys. The heart was about to explode in all of us and each one naively tried to hide his moist eyes, vainly attempting to keep a straight face.
We ended this splendid day with a dinner of steaks and pizzas where the master of the table and guest of honor was Sebastian. I take advantage of these lines to thank the “magnificent 10” who helped me with their hearts and all the availability they were capable of, sacrificing their day off and their flying. Even though I sincerely believe their commitment was by far rewarded by the intimate and deep satisfaction of what they managed to do.
The moral of this story is this: when you can, don't shy away, don't be afraid to help others. Selfishness is a nasty beast. And not only does it lead nowhere, but it deprives you of incredible satisfactions like the one we experienced. Bye to all.