It can seem the name for singles heart advertisement's page. But, I'm sorry for you, it isn't :-) It can also be a title for a science fiction or a thriller. No, it is neither that, unfortunately. It's nothing so exiting and electrifying. This is only the introduction for a monthly column that from this number onwards will appear on the pages of this magazine (for how long I don't know, it all depends on the editor of this mag., I guess till he gets tired of reading it :-).

    I forgot to introduce myself: my name is Christian Ciech. Some of you probably already know me. For those who don't, I'm the 2002 rigid wing's Champion. I won the title at the end of July in the Washington state, after 14 years of flight activity with the flex wing, with which I achieved 3 Italian Champion titles and a bronze medal at the '98 European Championship in the Czech Republic. After having finished my aerospace engineer study in March 2001, Icaro 2000 engaged me as their pilot-engineer.

    As I mentioned before, I was offered the possibility to write this column. Of course there are plenty of topics to talk about, it isn't a problem for me to choose them, but if you are interested in something in particular and especially, if I will be able to deal with it (for "Cut and sew" or "The theory of relativity" I can indicate you some good books), you can suggest me some.

    "Meetings", is the title of this first appointment, because I believe and hope that, besides talking about technical arguments of free flight, this can also be a means to communicate, to swap opinion, and share direct and non-direct experiences. Briefly, a way to "meet" and "to grow up" together.

    "Meetings", seems to me also the ideal title, for the most beautiful flight experiences that until now ever happened to me, and that I would like to share with you here below. If you'd preferred something more technical, I apologise to you, and postpone you to one of the next editions.

    The story starts on a Sunday in May 2001, and together with some paragliding friends of mine, I was going to take off in Valsugana close to the mountain Panarotta … (Valsugana is the valley that goes from Trento to Bassano, in Northern Italy, through which flows the river of Brenta). The day is very good and like most of the times, when I do not fly in competitions, I don't plan my flight. I just take off and leave the flight free to begin by itself. Only when I think that I'm at half of the flight time, I give myself a target, and decide if I want to fly back home or if I just want to "get lost" in a small village I've never seen before. Today, I want to learn something more of this new rigid wing, and see what "she" can give me.

    I take off without hurry around 1 or 1.30 pm and, after "a while", I'm flying over the mountain Serva, which is close to Belluno. At this point I decide to go until mountain Cavallo and than try to get back home. The fastest way to get back is by flying over the mountain Dolada. This is a very well-known way, and so I choose to change and go to Nevegal (the mountain situated on the Southern part of Belluno), where you normally do not fly across that frequently and where there are also beautiful cloud bases at 2600-2700 m.

    I find a thermal on the North side of Nevegal and after a few turns, about 150-200 m below, a big bird of prey with remarkable dimensions comes into the same lift. "She" starts to climb. I keep an eye on "her", and because "she" is climbing faster I continue to move around to find the core. But there is nothing I can do: in a short time "she" is at my same altitude. She's a young eagle; I can see it because of the white spots on her wings. She should have a wing span of 2 meters, or in any case not much less. Between brackets: (don't take this as an advise) but when I happen to fly with birds of prey, it seems to me that the best thing to do is to fly like as if they aren't there, ignoring them. Just fly in a relaxed way, without sudden change of direction, and don't give them the impression that you are a frighten prey and that you want escape; our wing dimensions make the rest of the job.

    The fact is that the eagle stops at my same altitude; she crosses me on the right, and then on the left. She goes in front of me, and then passes behind and then again below and above me.

    I feel like I'm being examined and continue to move my head in order to see what she's planning to do. I'm still climbing, but for sure it isn't thanks to me, because I am too excited from this presence, and therefore I don't pay attention to the direction of the thermals. Her majesty makes some nosedives passing in front of me, while I continue, unperturbed and faithful to my theory, to turn in circles.

    After a few minutes, I can't tell how many, something unbelievable happens. It all happens very slowly, it doesn't seem at all to an attack, but anyway, I don't feel very comfortable. The eagle comes up to my right side and slowly moves closer to me, staying only few meters below my wing. I can't believe it; she keeps on getting closer to me. Now she is almost at half way of my wing, just 2 meters below me. Her grandeur, confidence and beauty rouse an unimaginable astonishment in me.

    My eyes are getting bright; my hands are in a cold sweat, my hair stand on end under my helmet. I think to myself "You can't come any closer", as if she could understand me… But she must be thinking the opposite "Yes I can" … because she keeps on getting closer to me. When she is at less than 4 meters from me I feel that my arms are completely extended, like if I am attempting to raise myself up in an upright position, in order to move myself away from her. I see her eyes moving, she's scrutinizing me. She's moving just some feathers to control her flight. No, it's impossible! She's moving closer again! Now she's at less than 4 meters, 3 meters, I'm holding my breath; no!!... TWO meters. The idea of defending myself, runs through my mind like a flash.

    At this same moment, she makes a half rotation around herself with her claws stretched out towards me… I'm practically petrified, but… it's not an attack … right? In fact, she straightens herself with the same rapidity as she had turned around herself, gets back into a normal flight position, and calmly flies away. I start to breathe again. We continue to make some turns together, and a few seconds later, she leaves me flying away between the foggy cloud bases.

    I glide almost unintentionally over S.Croce's lake in the direction of the mountain Cavallo. It takes me "a few" minutes to get over this great emotion, I take a look around and search for her, but she's not here anymore. The emotion stays with me during the rest of the flight, and I still get the shivers every time I think back of this moment.

    These are the facts; I don't expect you to believe me, but I can assure you that even now, while I'm writing this story, my hair stand on end and my eyes are bright. If I would have needed a reason to fly, now I have one.