By me
All photos me too, copyrighted
Ever since I’d gotten my motor glider endorsement back in 2021, I’ve been using the cheapness of the experience to go and explore all the out-of-the-way bits of Central Croatia I’d never have gone to otherwise. While there’s not really much to see here in the way of infrastructure – no majestic castles, no picturesque medieval towns, no sprawling cities, just a handful of abandoned airfields – the nature itself is often overwhelmingly pleasant, with gentle rolling hills, lush forests and meandering rivers complete with all sorts of interesting associated formations. As the 2020 lockdown had taught me the value of appreciating such marvels in full (since I couldn’t really go anywhere else), I continued to visit them all the way into 2025, more often than not at the controls of one of the several Scheibe SF-25 Falke (falcon) TMGs I normally fly.
Since I do 90% of my GA flying in “severe CAVOK” conditions (have enough of the nasty stuff at work) and always have my camera on me, I’ve inevitably ended up with a rather solid collection of aerial landscape photos, the majority of which were taken in the mellow colors of the afternoon golden hour. At one point I had mulled actually publishing this lot as a small e-book… but then in a happy brainwave remembered that I’ve had an outlet for these things since 2009, and that I might as well make use it for the first time in a year 😑. So, after a bit of 👍 and 👎 through the collection, I am pleased to present the (highly optimistic) Flight of the Falcon!
Forests, lakes, low & slow… this feature in a nutshell!
Croatia may already have a heart shaped island – the rather well-known Galešnjak – but there’s no reason for it not to have another one. Reeds, birds, driftwood and motor gliders on the fishponds of the Česma river
While nowadays we see the Sava river as a generally steady, unchanging and comforting presence, throughout history it has occasionally shown itself to have a mind of its own. Through heavy storms, frequent flooding from snowmelt in the Alps and porous land all round, it had shifted its course slightly on numerous occasions, leaving behind dozens of fascinating oxbow lakes – such as this one, just of the village of Tišina Erdedska
Another one – but this time inhabited. The picturesque village of Veleševec was once situated squarely on the main body of the Sava; however, in the 18th century a large storm and associated heavy flooding had, pretty much overnight, shifted the course of the river a couple of hundred meters (!) to the east. While the result is epic to behold from above, the mosquito situation down there must be… something else
While Croatia’s inland fishing industry may not have quite the same renown as its coastal counterpart, it nevertheless does exist – and in more than just token form. In addition to 3,500 km of rivers and god knows how many streams, there are numerous natural and artificial fisheries and fishponds scattered all over; indeed, between my base airfield of Zvekovac (LDZE) and the first-airfield-next-door Bjelovar (LDZJ), there are nearly 20 km of interconnected pools and lakes used for this purpose… which also happen to be one of my favorite spots to chill in the air. This shot perfectly illustrates why!
Traffic, traffic! The problem with flying along fishponds and lakes is that many birds tend to have the same idea… and while my Falcon is as predatory as the biological one, encountering a whole squadron at low level is a surefire way to ruin your day
Alone. While Zagreb’s other two medieval hill forts – Susedgrad in the southwest (known for its long and illustrious history) and Medvedgrad in the middle (one of the city’s main landmarks) – are famous in song and story, Zelingrad in the far northeast has been forgotten for so long that I’d bet 80% of the city’s inhabitants don’t even know it exists. Built in the 13th century in response to some Tatar invasion or the other, it would end up being passed like a hot potato from one noble family to the other for the next 300 years, before finally being abandoned and left to rot sometime in the early 1600s. Today just 40-ish minutes by car or bike from the city center – but back then a better part of the day by mule – and tucked away in a confined valley that’s not THAT easy to access even at the best of times, it would receive some TLC only in the 21st century, with basic conservation and archaeological efforts starting back in 2001…
While to Zagreb-folk like myself – who grew up in its shade – the Medvednica mountain has always been king of the hill (quite literally), barely an hour’s drive east is the equally beautiful Moslavačka gora range of high hills. While it does not share the same Protected Nature Park status as the former, epic nature abounds in equal measure, with an even greater number of medieval forts, even less spoiled forests…
… and a big-ass transmitter on its top. Given that every large hill has an antenna and every small one a church, navigating VFR around here is a doddle!
It’s not all “pretty autumn colors” though; here we have the same Česma fish ponds as before… but in their far less attractive “pea soup/nuclear waste” phase
And finally, a bit of a cheat on which to end this post… this is not, in fact, Croatia, but the Donačka gora range in neighboring Slovenia. Since it is literally two kilometers over the border, we can stuff it in here no problem – especially since the trees are the same, and this is a rare opportunity to look at them like this in level flight. Ah, the magic of being a motor glider gliding along without its motor and being able to do this legally for hours on end! #ridgeliftforthewin
A very Achtung, Skyhawk! PS: the Falkes used in the production of these photos include:
- 9A-DHD: a 1976 SF-25C with the 60 HP Limbach L1700
- D-KDCK: a 1978 SF-25C with the 80 HP Sauer S2100
- D-KIAH: a 1989 SF-25C 2000 (large cabin w/ tall canopy) with the 80 HP Limbach L2000
Achtung, Skyhawk! 
Great pics in terms of composition, lighting. My mother’s people were from (then) Yugoslavia in the Croatian state, Nettie Batinovich was my grandmother’s name. Croatia really is beautiful. Thanks for the post.