Nöbetçi Eczaneler
Born in Thessaloniki in 1919, Yıldız Eruçman migrated with her family from Thessaloniki to Istanbul during the Türkiye–Greece population exchange, later settling in Izmir. From childhood, she was interested in aviation and applied to the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK), which had been established in 1925 to promote civil and military aviation and introduce young people to flying through courses in various cities. While continuing her studies in Izmir, she was invited by the Turkkusu Civil Aviation School of THK to Ankara. Thanks to her athletic discipline and talent in physical education, Eruçman received parachute training at the school.
As part of THK’s comprehensive civil aviation program, she also trained in gliding and became one of four women pilots mentored by Sabiha Gökçen. Her parachute jump, which earned her the title of Türkiye’s first female parachutist, left a lasting mark on Turkish aviation history. Accepting the suggestion of a Russian expert, she prepared for a demonstration in Ankara’s Ergazi district. In the last quarter of 1935, she jumped from a Russian-made Polikarpov R-5 aircraft at about 400 meters altitude. Witnessed by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, this jump marked her as one of Türkiye’s pioneering female aviators. After the event, Abdurrahman “Turkkusu”, Türkiye’s first parachutist, congratulated her, saying: “What a fortunate person you are! You have become the first girl in Türkiye to jump with a parachute!”
Eruçman continued her activities at the Inönü High Glider Camp in Eskişehir and the Etimesgut Glider Camp, pursuing her aviation career with the Turkish Aeronautical Association until retirement. Many years later, she was officially recorded as “ Türkiye’s First Female Parachutist” by the Gender Balance Development Commission of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Abdurrahman “Turkkusu”, for his part, made Türkiyes first free parachute jump in 1935, becoming one of the country’s earliest parachutists. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, impressed by his courage and success, gave him the nickname “Turkkusu” (“Turkish Bird”). As the first director of the Turkkusu Flight School, he played a pioneering role in advancing aviation education in Türkiye through glider and parachute training.