I was born in Zadar, studied in Zurich and today run a small software company in the Oberland. Family and roots in Croatia, the company in Switzerland — the Prime BK160 makes the distance liveable.
Before the Blackshape I chartered out of Zurich Kloten — more expensive per hour, less flexible, a halfway between car and airline. The own aircraft changed two things: I decide in the morning whether to fly, and I land at home.
Standard leg: Zadar LDZD → Mali Lošinj LDLO (optional family stop) → Birrfeld LSZF or Mollis LSZM in Switzerland. Direct it's just under four hours — comfortably inside the Prime's 1,560 km of range.
I file IFR on the main run most of the time, because the weather over the Po valley and the Alpine northern edge rarely stays good for long. The Garmin G3X Touch in its IFR build is solid — I don't ask for glass-cockpit elegance, I ask for avionics that show altitudes, routes and traffic reliably.
I use the 750-kg MTOM advantage: one co-pilot, three days of luggage, my MacBook and a tool case — all without sacrificing fuel.
Zadar LDZD is a big commercial airport with a long runway — as a GA pilot I'm privileged here: long pavement, professional crew, always a slot. Mali Lošinj LDLO is the emotional address: short strip by the sea, GA apron, family ground.
Birrfeld LSZF and Mollis LSZM are my two Swiss endpoints — both straightforward, both slot-free. Mollis has the prettier approach, Birrfeld the better link to the company.
On the route I also meet Diamond DA50 pilots — single cabin-class with Continental CD-300 diesel, four-to-five seats, 1,480 km range. That's the next class up: more seats, Jet A-1 rather than mogas, considerably more capital.
For my profile — one co-pilot, plenty of distance, high frequency — the Prime is the more honest tool. I don't need five-seat four-person comfort, I need a tandem with long-leg capacity and a thin fuel bill. Rotax efficiency is my best business partner.
“The Prime turns an Adriatic diaspora story into a weekend commute.”
What I'd do differently today: a fixed maintenance partner in Switzerland and one in Croatia from day one. The aircraft commutes — the logistics has to commute with it.
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