Zlatko Mateša, the president of the Croatian Olympic Committee, and Vjekoslav Gucić, the owner of “Getro”, shared classes at the pilot school at the Aero club in Zagreb in 1993 when they made the decision to learn to fly. One year later, both men received their pilot licenses for sports aircrafts and both learned how to fly an aircraft from instructor Miro Nesek, whom Mateša addresses as Captain. Captain Nesek proudly points out that even today both of his students are active pilots, meaning that they fly regularly several times per month.

'Flyers are divided into those that dream about doing so from childhood and those that want to fly a plane because it is in who do not necessarily need to be tycoons but ordinary imbeciles'The first private aircraft was registered in Croatia in 1992 by Miljenko Bucalović, the owner of the “Ecos” club who opened the first private flight school in Lučko. That was a fairly brave business move then because no one in air traffic considered the potential source of profit. Even less so that private flying would become a hit among the new high class, which managed to create exactly what was unimaginable ten years ago: they fly for their private needs, for “fun”, whether it is a new passion or a demonstration of their elitism. By 2001, 57 private aircrafts were registered, and it seems that this number has doubled since. On the Internet, the available list stated 42 private airplanes for general aviation, and 79 private aircrafts in the “ultra-light” category; the Ministry of Maritime Trade, Aviation, and Communication has only 19 aircrafts recorded in their registry. The Ministry had no answer when they were asked which criteria agreed with the infringed list of registered aircrafts for general aviation. The only thing they agreed on was that the numbers that were published on the Internet give a more realistic account of the situation.

The Cessna, which he purchased with his friend, is driven by the owner of Plavi Oglasnik, Zdravko Raškaj, who is not even on the Ministry’s list. There is no record of the aircraft belonging to the Žiljak family. The Cessne is driven by both sisters, Ivana and Jana, graphical designers who run their own designer studios “Fotosoft” and “Dizajn centar”. The girls learned to love the sport from their father Vilko Žiljak, a professor at the Graphic Design University. Having an aircraft is a fairly expensive sport and annually it costs thousands of euros, so the owner of the license for the Miss Croatia competition decided to share the expenses of owning the Cessne with his friend, construction entrepreneur Davor Cepetić. The following two airplanes are listed on the Ministry’s list: for the necessity of his tourism agency “Adriatic Luxury Services” owned by Goran Štrok from Dubrovnik, and a Cessne owner by Željko Sverić, the owner of Zagreb’s café “Atrij”. One Cessne is found in Čakovac which is owned by four members of the aero club.

Flying is “in” which is shown in the existence of 40 flight schools in Croatia; at “Ecos”, over 200 people learned to fly in the past decade. Only 70 of the most persistent received their pilot license.

“Flyers are those individuals that dream of flying as children and we call this group of persons “born aviators”, as well as those who believe that flying is “in”. They do not need to be tycoons but typical imbeciles. And of course, professionals”, said instructor Miljenko Bucalović, while explaining the social structure of pilots. Without regard to this exclusive selection, pilots have begun to lose part of their heavenly immunity. It is more and more common to see individuals who do not own their own airplanes in the air such as the wife of gynecologist Velimir Šimunić, Anita Šimunić. Even though he is not considering purchasing his own aircraft, Zlatko Mateša does not wish to give up flying.

“My love for flying was introduced by one of the founders of Croatia Airlines where I spent many years in their supervisory committee. I most enjoy flying with a Cessne 150 or 172, but I have not considered purchasing my own aircraft. Instead, I pay €150 to €200 for an hour long flight, and that is enough for me to arrive in Varaždin and back. If you do not fly at least 300 hours annually, purchasing an aircraft does not pay off because it is most expensive when the plane is on ground”, which was Mateša’s reason for not purchasing an airplane.

Apart from airplanes, there are at least three private helicopters that are registered in Croatia; Bell, one of these helicopters, is owned by Ivica Todorić, the owner of “Agrokor”. This practical transportation means is used quite often by all employees in the company, but it is clear that Todorić believes that it is his intimate possession because he registered the transportation craft as HIT, which unofficial sources claim are the initials for “Ivica Todorić’s Helicopter”. Vjekoslav Gucić also connected his love for aviation with the needs of Getro. Because he most often drives the aircraft himself, Gucić often flew with Zoran Bucković alongside his necessary hours at the aeronautics study at the Transportation University in Zagreb. Bucković is known as one of the best pilots in Croatia whom Gucić believes to be his flight mentor.

“Getro operates in ten Croatian cities and our airplane spends 200 hours per year in the air. We solve problems related to location and further distances with the aircraft, as well as the problem related to attending various technical fairs in Europe. The method of operations in our branch is quick and dynamic, our investment in the private aircraft proved to be entirely profitable”, Gucić said while explaining the reason that Getro invested $350,000 USD four years ago for the purchase of a Cessne T 303 Crusader, one of the few two motor aircrafts with Croatian registration.

“I was attracted to flying by my desire for a challenge and a long time love for aviation. Taking into account that this is a hobby, I would decide to purchase an aircraft for a private variant as well”, said Gucić, who parks his Cessne at the Zagreb International Airport.

General aviation, which is a mutual name for aircrafts registered for noncommercial use or private airplanes, was treated as a disturbance at the airport until recently. Today it is a profitable business. According to official statistics, 2491 private aircrafts with a total of 4541 passengers landed in Zagreb last year. By October of this year, 1813 aircrafts were accepted and supplied. Only this year, 3,500 passengers arrived in private aircrafts on the landing strip near Velika Gorica, all of which have V.I.P. treatment and are often envied by passengers on regular lines that wait in line for their suitcases.

These extraordinary services, of course, are paid extraordinarily, explained the director of Zagreb International Airport Boško Matković, uncovering that next summer the airport could open a special passenger terminal for private aircrafts. Among this type of travel, foreigners are more numerous and Croatia has a great potential. Because of that at Plesa, alongside the apron where 21 aircrafts are held each with a wingspan up to 20 meters, they decided to build a hangar. As Matković says, their clients do not want their flight craft stored in tarpaulin only where they need to quickly wipe the snow off the wings after a strong winter storm.

As a child, 36 year old Branimir Ambreković – well known to the public because he recently jumped 10,000 meters in the United States with Alfa, a special unit of MUP- dreamt of becoming a pilot. Life dragged him in a different direction. 13 years ago, he established a company for software development, and last year he was named as the General Director of Wave Tech after the American company fused with his company in 2002. His childhood love towards aviation began in the 90’s when Ambreković began spending more and more time in Lučko where he soon began parachuting.

“I constantly stayed at Lučko and it was only a question of time before I could afford to pay for flight school and invest in my own private airplane”, said Ambreković whose Yakovlev 52, a Russian airplane for military pilot training, is one of the most beautiful aircrafts “parked” at Lučko.

He began flying in 1999, when he signed up for pilot school, and two years later he received his first basic sports license. Afterwards, he passed special training for airplane acrobatics in the United States because Ambreković, as an adrenaline addict, does not use his aircraft as a means of transportation.

“I tried all sorts of airplanes in the Unites States, but the prices were around $150,000 USD which was not a possibility of me. When I found out that a business YAK 52 existed in Latvia which cost $25,000 USD, I believed that this was the opportunity that I was waiting for because I finally had enough money and time”, said Ambreković after he fulfilled his childhood dream with the purchase of an aircraft that was manufactured in 1984. He spent two weeks in Latvia in order to fly enough hours to receive a license for that type of aircraft. After returning to Croatia, Ambreković invested $25,000 USD more in the YAK for services and necessary parts so that he could enjoy the loopings that he carries out at least once a week while he often places a volunteer who wants some adventure in the co-pilot seat. Double commands are active through the entire flight so that, after being placed in the miniature cabin space and attached to a parachute, a lesson follows on how nothing can be touched. It can be said in short that it is best to touch nothing, while it seems almost impossible, for example, while hanging upside down in such a tight space. In the several seconds between the time where an individual is floating in the seat to when the body is pressed against the seat due to pressure, where the number of kilograms multiplies two to seven times and the adrenalin races unstoppably while the heart beats like crazy, it is not difficult to understand why the man from Zagreb purchased the aircraft. Despite the fact that he cannot go further than Vrsar or Varaždin with it.

When he prepares his plane for flight, Dragutin Terihaj plans to travel with it- to an aero meeting. That is why he decided to complete special training for acrobatics.
“Flying, in that sense, has never gone further than ‘shows’ so I need to learn that form of acrobatics to show everything that this plane can do”, said the pilot mechanic who is employed at MUP. Over the past ten years, he has restored an Aero 522, a hunter for the JNA military training pilot. The last such aircraft was manufactured in Mostar 29 years ago, and its standard equipment contains two heavy machine-guns, two bombs totaling 50 kilograms and two rocket launchers. It is hard for Terihaj to calculate how much money was invested in his love towards aviation. Since he bought the tail drive airplane known as “Soko” in 1993, he spent the next five years collecting all the original airplane parts.

“Ten years ago, I received an Aero 522 from the Aero club Zagreb which was supposed to end up at the dump. Several parts were given to me by the military, and several were given to me by the Aviation Institution in Velika Gorica”, said Terihaj, speaking about the beginning of his project where he decided that his airplane must have all original parts, including the screws. “Because 180 were manufactured in total, and all that existed in Croatia was destroyed in the Patriotic War because they had a pentagon on the tail and wings, this was shown to be a very easy assignment. “I dug up garbage dumps, and searched for people that kept parts as souvenirs and they called me after they found out what I was doing. I managed to attain original instruments that work. That old radio has one specific sound”, said Terihaj, attempting to imitate the noise that sound. It is most difficult, he says, to acquire an original clock- the most sought after souvenir among collectors. In order to pay them back, he kept a precise list of all donators that help him in the restoration process, Terihaj and his friends who love flying founded an aviation enthusiasts association at Aero plan where information on the restoration progress can be received on 01/33 63 650 or on cell phone number 098/93 52 187.

Before he sits in his “Soko”, Dragutin Terihaj must go to France to complete special training for that type of aircraft because the only airplane that is in flying condition was purchased by the French from a museum in Belgrade. Terihaj does not know if the test will go well with the numerous remains of the complicated flight craft although the restoration is registered at the Ministry of Maritime Trade, Aviation, and Communication, whose general inspection controls various phases of the airplane development. This inspection occurs because it is really possible for the airplane to be put together in a garage; Terihaj complains that our technical culture has fallen to such a low level over the past several years. That is why he decided that after “Soko” leaves his garage, he will immediately replace it with a new airplane and hopefully an interested student.

“Someone who is not a fan of technical issues cannot understand the feeling when you imagine something, create it, and realize that it works”, said Terihaj.

“Someone who loves aviation and has spent his whole life admiring it will learn something and it will not be very difficult to arrange an airplane based on a blue print”, highlighted Sinša Kralj whose ”Štiglec” is one of the most popular “ultra light” airplanes at Lučko. That two-winger was made of Styrofoam, plywood and linen, which is held up by wheels taken from a smaller pickup. That form of aircraft, says Kralj, can be made by anyone for €5,000 to €10,000. He was most likely convincing on his father, Marko Kralj, and his friend Marijan Ivanček when he asked to start compiling the airplane that the two men dreamt about for a long time.

“As a child, I listened to his ideas on building a small airplane and when I grew up, I convinced him to accept the project. We found a blueprint that we planned to use, but in the end completely changed it. My mother was not impressed with our hobby, but my father promised me that each passed exam at the Agronomics University would be rewarded with one month of work on the airplane; I have to admit that it is a good form of motivation”, said Siniša Kralj, who graduated from agronomics so that he could become a pilot.

Krešimir Jung, an electric engineer, was more determined after one year of employment at “Ecos”; he became the owner of a Cessne 150 which he purchased six years ago for 25,000 DM to save money! Four years ago, when he was 28 years old, Krešimir Jung decided to fulfill his dream and become a pilot. After basic training, he invested 28,000 kuna to pay for four years of aeronautics at the Transportation University in Zagreb. So that he would not have to pay rent for the airplane necessary for practical lessons, Jung invested in the Cessne where he flew his first 50 school hours.

“I can always sell the airplane for the same price”, said Jung who collected 750 hours of independent flight, and now holds a record as the instructor for leading beginners. One year ago, however, Jung quit his job where he worked as an electric engineer and decided to dedicate himself to aviation after he graduated from the Transportation University.