Croatian lifestyle weekly talked to our pilot Sven Kučinić about his everyday life as a two-career man

(Below is a translation of an article published in the Croatian weekly magazine ‘Story’ on May 11 2022 under the title ‘I na nebu i na zemlji’. The original publication can be found HERE)

SUBTITLE: Young, successful and 'addicted' to flying. Sven Kučinić, a Senior First Officer in an airline company, revealed all of his passions which he turned into two serious careers – one on the ground and the other one in the air.

Besides being one of the pilots at Jung Sky, a business aviation operator, 34-year-old Sven Kučinić is also the owner of LumiLas, a company that designs and programs lighting and special effects as well as laser effects for concerts, clubs and corporate events which sheds a pretty unique light on his schedule and way of life.

What does your average week as a business aviation pilot look like?

Business aviation is different from regular commercial aviation in a sense that its schedule is much more dynamic and we fly to significantly larger number of destinations. In a company that offers its passengers the ability to choose their departure and arrival destination from hundreds of airports, flight operations are much more demanding than maintaining regular routes. Working in shifts, which includes overnight stays and resting in many cities across Europe, is a huge advantage. On average, during one shift we often visit about twenty countries.

How stressful is this job and how challenging is it to reconcile the pace of everyday life in Jung Sky with other commitments and private life in general?

The perception of stress depends on the individual. Stress management is a fundamental part of the training and selection of professional pilots and I think I would find an office-job much more stressful than being a pilot. The only way you can do this job is if you truly love it, which of course means organizing your private life in accordance with the specifics and pace of pilot life. It is certainly practical if you are a workaholic by nature who also loves to travel.

How come you started to think about a pilot occupation, despite already having a successful and demanding career?

The pilot career was in my mind even before I started LumiLas. However, at that time, I could not finance the very expensive schooling so life took me in a different direction. In the end I decided to fulfil the original ‘pilot plan’ because I firmly believe life is too fragile and too short to give up on your dreams and plans, whatever they may be. It’s never too late to change or – in my case – expand your career.

Going back to the beginnings - when and how was LumiLas created?

LumiLas origins date back to my student days and it was a blend of my love towards music and of technology. In the last thirty years, lighting and laser effects have really developed and went from turning light bulbs on and off to sophisticated electronics and robotics. And given the fact most people aren’t fascinated by technology itself, but do react when it is integrated into the audio-visual experience, the niche I found most interesting was designing and programming this technology for various music events.

What do you enjoy most about each of these jobs?

Commercial flying is performed according to a strict set of procedures and regulations, thus satisfying the nerd in me who loves when things go according to a certain process. The LumiLas job, on the other hand, requires a certain amount of creativity which I also enjoy immensely. Working as a pilot enables me to travel the world, but without the obligation of sound rehearsals and all-night programming of the equipment in the arenas. And of course, I have to be honest - it feels pretty good to have the controls of a powerful jet in your hands several times a day.

In LumiLas, you work with the biggest music stars in Croatia and the region, while in Jung Sky your passengers are some of the world's biggest celebrities (e.g Jose Mourinho, Sting, Keanu Reeves, Andrea Bocelli, etc.). The rumour is that the bigger a celebrity, the easier it is to work with them. Is that true?

In most cases this is true. Flying a celebrity is kind of specific because you need to find the balance between the ‘special treatment’, which is somewhat implied, and the ‘pilot authority’ for flight safety. I was pleasantly surprised when we transported the family of a former American president. Due to the perception in the media, I had certain prejudices, but people really delighted me with their accessibility and friendliness.
 

Concert spectacles are the area for which he specialized and, over the course of 15 years, became one of the market leaders. "Thanks to this job, I have traveled much of the world on tours with artists such as Gibonni, Prljavo kazalište, Petar Grašo, Đorđe Balašević and others" said Sven, who really enjoys both of his jobs.