First female combat pilot?

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Peter H
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First female combat pilot?

#1

Post by Peter H » 29 Mar 2007, 11:43

Sabiha Gökçen,the adopted daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabiha_G%C3%B6k%C3%A7en
In the beginning of 1936, Atatürk urged her to attend the Air Force Academy to become the first female military pilot of Turkey. She improved her skills by flying bomber and fighter planes at the 1st Aircraft Regiment in Eskişehir Airbase and got experience after participating in the Aegean and Thrace exercises in 1937. In that same year, she took part in the military operation against the Dersim riot and became the world's first female Air Force combat pilot.

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vox stellarum
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#2

Post by vox stellarum » 07 Jun 2007, 19:04

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.
http://aydin.net/blog/2006/03/18/sabiha ... bat-pilot/

Sabiha Gökcen
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source: http://library.thinkquest.org/

Sabiha Gökcen and Atatürk
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source:http://library.thinkquest.org/

Sabiha Gökcen and Atatürk
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source: answers.com

Sabiha Gökcen
Image
source: tv8.com.tr


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Ironmachine
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#3

Post by Ironmachine » 08 Jun 2007, 08:18

There were female Russian pilots in World War I:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_t ... t_military
Several women pilots are known from the First World War. Princess Eugenie M. Shakovskaya was assigned duty as an artillery and reconnaissance pilot, having volunteered for the Imperial Russian Air Service in 1914 (one of the world’s first female military aviators) and flew missions with the 26th Corps Air Squadron in 1917 for nine months. Because of her connections to the Imperial family she was demobilized after the October Revolution. Lyubov A. Golanchikova was a test pilot, contributed her airplane to the Czarist armies; Helen P. Samsonova was assigned to the 5th Corps Air Squadron as a reconnaissance pilot. And in 1915, Nedeshda Degtereva had the distinction of being the first woman pilot to be wounded in combat while on a reconnaissance mission over the Austrian front in Galicia.

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