Sabiha Gökçen was the first Turkish female aviator and the first female combat pilot of the world. She was one of the eight adoptive children of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Sabiha was born in Bursa, Turkey in 1913. Atatürk met Sabiha during a visit to Bursa in 1925, he adopted her and brought her to Ankara. Just after the introduction of the surname act (June 21, 1934), Atatürk gave her the family name ‘Gökçen’ on December 19, the same year. Gök means sky in Turkish.
Atatürk believed strongly in the future of aviation therefore he founded a civilian school for aviation called “Türk Kuþu” (the Turkish bird). Sabiha became very interested in aviation, so she learned flying and received her pilots licence. Gökçen was sent to Russia, together with seven male students for advanced training in gliding and subsequently enrolled at the Military Aviation Academy in Eskisehir in 1936. She also received training at the First Aircraft Regiment in Eskisehir, and improved her skills by flying 21 different types of aircraft including fighters, bombers and Turkkusu aircraft.
Sabiha extended her experience in flying by taking part in the 1937 War Games in Thrace and the Aegean Sea, and in the Dersim Operations with the 2nd Company of the first Aircraft Regiment, where she earned the title of ‘first female combat pilot of the world’. In 1938, she carried out a five-day flight around the Balkan countries to great acclaim. She also attended training at the US Air force Academy. Later, she was appointed chief trainer of the Turkish Aviation Institution “Türk Kuþu” where she served until 1955. She became a member of the Turkish Aviation Executive Board. Sabiha Gökçen flew around the world for a period of 28 years until 1964. She stopped flying at 1964 but continued teaching. Her book entitled “A Life Along the Path of Atatürk” was published by the Turkish Aviation Institution to commemorate Atatürk’s 100th birthday.
Sabiha Gökçen passed away on March 23, 2001 in Ankara’s GATA military hospital at the age of 88. The newest international airport in Ýstanbul on the Asian part, the Sabiha Gökçen Airport, is named after her.
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