March 22, 1913 - March 22, 2001
Sabiha Gökçen’s
Sabiha Gökçen was born in Bursa on March 22, 1913, as the sixth child of Mustafa İzzet Bey and Hayriye Hanım. Following the death of her parents, she was adopted by Atatürk during his visit to Bursa in 1925 and given the surname “Gökçen”.
Sabiha Gökçen, who received her education at Çankaya Primary School and Istanbul Üsküdar Girls’ College, entered the Turkish Bird Civil Aviation School of the Turkish Aeronautical Association in 1935 and obtained her advanced glider pilot licenses in Ankara.
Gökçen, along with seven male students, was sent to Crimea, Russia, to complete advanced gliding training.
In 1936, she entered the Eskişehir Military Aviation School, where she successfully completed missions with fighter and bomber aircraft, earning the title of the world’s first “Female Combat Pilot.” In 1937, she was awarded the Turkish Aviation Association’s “Number 9 Jeweled (Distinguished) Medal” for being the first female pilot trained by the association.
In 1938, Gökçen, invited by the Balkan states, toured the Balkans by plane. She was later appointed head instructor at the Turkish Aeronautical Association’s Türkkuşu (Turkish Bird) program, a position he successfully held until 1955.
Sabiha Gökçen, who flew a total of 22 different light bomber and acrobatic aircraft throughout her life and was the recipient of many awards, received the International Aviation Federation Gold Medal in 1991.
At the Eagles Meeting held in America in 1996, Sabiha Gökçen was selected as one of the 20 aviators who made their mark on world aviation history, becoming the first woman aviator to receive this award.
Sabiha Gökçen passed away on March 22, 2001, at the age of 88. Sabiha Gökçen is an inspiration for all female pilots in the world, and her legend will live on with us.
