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Sabiha Gökçen was the first Turkish female aviator and the first female combat pilot of the world. She was born on March 21, 1913 in Bursa and died on March 22, 2001 in Ankara. She was one of the eight adoptive children of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Atatürk met Sabiha during a visit to Bursa in 1925. She was only 12 years of age and expressed her will to go to a boarding school. So, Atatürk adopted the little girl when he heard of her miserable living conditions. Sabiha attended Çankaya Primary School in Ankara and then the Üsküdar American Girls' College in Istanbul.
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. However, she was not an aviator to this date, that she should become only six months later.
Atatürk believed strongly in the future of aviation. So, he founded a civilian school for aviation called "Türk Kuşu" (the Turkish bird). He took Sabiha along with him to the opening ceremony of this institution on May 5, 1935. During the airshow of gliders and parachutists invited from foreign countries, she got very excited. As Atatürk asked her whether she would also jump with parachute, she noded "yes indeed, I am ready right now". Atatürk instructed Fuat Bulca, the head of the school, to enroll her as the first female trainee. She should become a parachutist, however she was much more interested in flying an airplane. So, she learnt flying and received her pilot licence. Gökçen was sent to Russia, together with seven male students for advanced training in gliding. Subsequently in the beginning of 1936, Atatürk wanted that she visits 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.
Learning that her squadron was ordered to a mission, but as a female, she was not allowed to go with, she flew to Ankara and asked Atatürk personally for permission to take part in the Dersim operation against the guerrillas in south-eastern Turkey. He unwillingly agreed, and gave her his own handgun for any bad case. There, she flew sorties along with her male colleagues becoming the first combat pilot of the world.
In 1938, she carried out a five-day flight around the Balkan countries to great acclaim. Later, she was appointed chief trainer of the Turkish Aviation Institution "Türk Kuşu" 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. Her book entitled A life Along the Path of Ataturk was published by the Turkish Aviation Institution to commemorate Atatürk's 100th birthday.
The newest international airport in İstanbul on the Asian part, the Sabiha Gökçen Airport, is named after her.