Today we meet up with a typical “entrepreneur”, about to take delivery of his brand-new PC-12 PRO. The aircraft features a unique color scheme with striking orange accents and bat symbol on the tail. He is joined by his wife, Cornelia, and his daughter, Daphne. The three of them are accompanied by “Seppel”, their faithful dachshund, who clearly adores his owners – and loves flying along in the PC-12 too. Truly a family united by their passion for aviation and love for animals!
Dominik Gschwender is a successful German entrepreneur and head of the AIRCOM GROUP, a supplier of tire repair and compressor systems for the automobile industry, with multiple locations in Europe, Asia and America. The company employs a workforce of approximately 1,000 people. With his exceptionally smart and dynamic demeanor, it quickly becomes clear how Dominik likes to run his company, and what he expects from his employees: “My company has to stay fast and flexible, otherwise we’re not competitive. That’s why I want my employees to make decisions on their own – they’re no use to me otherwise”, he says in casual conversation. It’s obvious that he attaches special importance to speed, agility and flexibility. “I’m away for nearly 180 days a year, our Pilatus aircraft is used almost exclusively for business. The PC-12 offers us the best in terms of performance and range within Europe.”
His wife, Cornelia, is equally enthusiastic: “It’s a wonderfully flexibile aircraft. We used to have a Piper M700, which didn’t come anywhere close to offering the same level of flexibility as this Pilatus aircraft. On one occasion we took it to Crete, and found ourselves stranded at the airport with huge amounts of baggage and gifts which friends had given us. That wouldn’t have happened with this plane: you can open the cargo door and load absolutely everything.”
And what about Seppel the dachshund – does he enjoy flying too? “When I sit up front in the cockpit – I’m a pilot myself – he’d be thrilled to fly along on my lap if he could”, says Dominik with a grin.
Daughter’s Design on the Tail
So what’s the story behind the bat symbol – “Nightshade” – on the tail? Daughter Daphne explains that it represents the flying dragon from her “all-time favorite movie”, How To Train Your Dragon. “I found a template and redrew it. Then I showed it to my dad just for fun. He doesn’t usually see the humor in things like that – but he was serious this time. So now we have my Nightshade on the plane! I love that movie and I love the dragon!”, she says proudly.
Garmin as a Selling Point
This is Dominik Gschwender’s second PC-12 – and this time, the Garmin avionics were the deciding factor: “My previous NG was far more complicated to operate than this aircraft. The displays are brilliant, and the touchscreen technology takes you right into the 21st century. The controls are incredibly intuitive, and significantly improve safety.”
The “Crafted in Switzerland” lettering which Dominik chose for the wings is very striking, too. Asked about the reason for his choice he explains: “In my view, that’s exactly what sets Pilatus apart. We looked at various aircraft – but Pilatus quality is simply outstanding. From the customer’s perspective: a really great job! I think it’s wonderful that we can still produce something like this in Europe.”
Pilatus would like to thank Dominik Gschwender for his renewed confidence and wishes him many more smooth flights aboard his brand-new PC-12 PRO!
