Nöbetçi Eczaneler
“The Future is in the Skies”
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, opening of Türkkuşu Flight School, May 1935
While endless wars have persisted from the past to the present, we witness that aviation is not only a means of transportation but also a strategic military power. The strategic leap of the Republic of Turkey in wars and aviation is best understood through Sabiha GÖKÇEN. Woven stitch by stitch through the years, filled with successful flights, fearless battles, a name etched in world history, a woman who introduced Turkish society and Turkish women to the world—the first female combat pilot in the world…
Sabiha Gökçen, who began living in Ankara in 1925 as the adopted daughter of Atatürk and took the surname “Gökçen” in 1934 at Atatürk’s request, started her pilot training in 1935 at the Türkkuşu Flight School established under the Turkish Aeronautical Association. She became a pilot in 1936 and in 1937, by serving in combat aircraft, earned the title of the world’s first female combat pilot. Every flight she undertook was filled with great experience and success.
In 1937, she received the Turkish Aeronautical Association’s Murassa (Honor) Medal for her success in the Tunceli Operation, and the same year, she began to be called the “Daughter of the Skies” after completing a solo five-day Balkan tour. She quickly undertook significant missions and proved to the world that she could fly alone. In 1938, she continued her work as an instructor pilot, taking teaching as seriously as flying itself.
Her work at the Turkish Aeronautical Association greatly contributed to the development of Turkish aviation. She dedicated her life to aviation and was honored with medals and certificates of merit. She completed her last military flight in 1955 and flew her final flight in 1996 at the age of 83 during an honorary trip to the United States, alongside French pilot Daniel Acton. In the same year, she was included in the “Top 20 Pilots of the World” list prepared by the U.S. Air Command and Staff College. She was the only woman, the only Turk, and the only female combat pilot on that list.
Today, wars may continue far more mercilessly than in the past, and aviation remains central to the most strategic moves in warfare. However, no state, government, or aviator has a ‘Sabiha Gökçen’ to proudly remember. No one’s name has been deemed worthy of being the “Daughter of the Skies” like hers, and no one has touched hearts as deeply as Sabiha Gökçen.