Taking the plunge

Everybody wants to fly, declares Nadia H. Adam Ali, her eyes shining with excitement. And as the UAE's first woman skydiver, she is fulfilling the dream of flight on a regular basis.

Speaking to Tabloid, Nadia laughs and adds: "As a child, everybody imagined what it would be like to fly. We do things like jump from table to table or couch to couch or bed to bed to get that feeling ? everybody loves it."

And believe me, it is impossible not to feel inspired by the immense enthusiasm this incredible lady conveys.

Charming, adventurous, confident and talented, Nadia represents the changing face of the Arab woman in the modern world.

Once she sets her mind on something, nothing stops her until she achieves her goal, and it was this strength of spirit that lured her to the high-adrenalin sport of freeflying.

The sport evolved from the basic discipline of skydiving.

Potential

Conceived by a man named Olav Zipser, an intrepid skydiver who believed that there should be more to skydiving than set moves on your belly. He saw a world of potential in the sport.

Over the years, freeflying has evolved into an art that involves manoeuvring in the sky in every possible way at different speeds, rotations and directions while maintaining control.

Not surprisingly, freeflyers are regarded as the skateboarders of the skydiving world.

Viewed as slightly anti-establishment, they are constantly pushing the envelope, but not in an attempt to be cool or because they want to be a part of the in-crowd. They are just 'being' - having fun, and playing in the sky.

Nadia, who had always cherished a secret ambition to fly, simply fell in love with freeflying from the minute she had her first taste of it.

She said: "I don't think you need inspiration to experience the beauty of the sky. "I think it speaks for itself. When you look up you see the clouds in the sky and you wonder, this is what it must feel like to fly."

Having started freeflying when she was 24, Nadia now has an impressive 900 jumps under her belt.

Not enough

But it's just not enough for the skydiving-hungry Nadia.

She said: "It isn't quite enough for me. Not nearly enough. It isn't even close to the number of jumps I'd like to have.

"And this is because we do not consistently have an aircraft here in the UAE."

Not content to rest on the laurels of her jumps and past achievements, Nadia was looking to do something truly historic.

The opportunity presented itself at the annual Al Ain Aerobatics Air Show 2006 and Nadia grabbed it with both hands, determined to make the event truly historic by bringing the father of the sport of freeflying, Olav Zipser, to the UAE for the event.

Along with Zipser, Nadia also decided to re-unite the world's first freeflying team, The Free Fly Clowns, for the occasion.

She said: "This will be a 10-year reunion for The Freefly Clowns and it took me all of last year to bring everybody together.

"And in order to get everybody together I had to bring the originals together. Besides Olav Zipser, the man who created this discipline, I have also brought in Charles Bryan from the Fly Boyz and Omar Alhegelan from the flight club.

"Getting an 80-member team to come here in one place for the Al Ain Aerobatic Air Show was a lot of hard work. It is something that has never been done before, so you'd better believe it when I say this is history in the making."

But Nadia's ambitions don't rest that easy. Nadia is also the general coordinator of the world freeflying team 2006 that will attempt to set a new world record in freeflying.

She said: "The present freeflying record involves 50 people in formation. We are planning to link a minimum of 54 people to break the international record for freeflying."

But to also show her feminine side, Nadia decided to launch a perfume, drawing inspiration from her love of freeflying.

Fragrance

Samaa, which means 'sky' in Arabic ? an appropriate title for a fragrance that evokes the freedom and excitement of flying, is now available in the UAE and throughout the region.

Nadia added: "As an Emarati woman in today's modern world I encompass many roles. "My passion for the freedom of the skies and my love for things of beauty, such as this fragrance, are both integral aspects of my personality."

Nabeel Adam Ali, Director of the Swiss Arabian Perfumes Group, which was commissioned to create the exclusive, limited edition fragrance, said: "Aero sports are all about precision and achieving a harmonious and elegant balance between art and science. These qualities are intrinsic to creating world-class fragrances as well."