Known as the first female fighter pilot of the world and the daughter of the skies: Who is Sabiha Gökçen?

Gökçen was born on March 22, 1913 in Bursa, Turkey. She was born as the daughter of her father Mustafa İzzet Bey and her mother Hayriye Hanım, both of whom are of Bosnian descent. After losing her mother and father at a young age, her older brother supported her education. Sabiha, who is twelve years old, asked permission to meet with Atatürk during Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's visit to Bursa in 1925 and had the opportunity to meet. Sabiha told Atatürk her story and miserable living conditions by telling Atatürk that she wanted to study at a boarding school. Listening to her story, Atatürk decided to adopt Sabiha. He asked Sabiha's older brother for permission to take her to the Çankaya Mansion in Ankara, where she would live with her other adopted daughters, Zehra, Afet and Rukiye. Sabiha, who went to Ankara with her brother's permission, first attended Çankaya Primary School and then Üsküdar American High School in Istanbul.

After the Surname Law came into force, Atatürk gave Sabiha the surname "Gökçen" on 19 December 1934. The word "sky" meant sky in Turkish and the word Gökçen meant "belonging to or pertaining to the sky". However, Sabiha, who was not interested in aviation at the time, realized this passion six months later.

Attaching great importance to aviation, Atatürk pioneered the establishment of the Turkish Aeronautical Association in 1925. On May 5, 1935, he took Sabiha with him to the opening ceremony of the Türkkuşu Flight School. Sabiha was very excited about the paratroopers she saw here and coming from abroad. Sabiha, who answered yes when Atatürk asked her if she wanted to be a paratrooper, was recorded as the first female trainee of the school. Sabiha, who was supposed to be a paratrooper, was more interested in flying, so she decided to get her pilot's license. Gökçen was sent to the Crimea, the Soviet Union with seven male students, to receive advanced training in glider and powered aircraft piloting. However, when she learned that her sister Zehra died while she was there, she moved away from social activities for a while and returned to Turkey.

After a while, Gökçen started to work again upon Atatürk's insistence. Later, she continued to receive special flight training from Savmi Uçan and Muhittin Bey at Eskişehir Air School. She stepped into her greatest passion, starting to fly a powered airplane for the first time on February 25, 1936.

Due to her success in flight training, Atatürk continued to receive special training by sending her to the Aircraft School in Eskişehir, telling Gökçen that 'he made her very happy and that maybe Gökçen would be the first female military pilot in the world'. Since female students were not admitted to the War Academies in those years, a personalized uniform was given to Gökçen by the order of Atatürk. Thus, she took her place in the eleven-month special education program at the Aircraft School in Eskişehir. After obtaining her flight patents, Gökçen continued to train for six months in the 1st Aircraft Regiment in Eskişehir to become a fighter pilot.

Then, she developed her skills and mastery by flying bomber and fighter planes in the 1st Air Regiment at Eskişehir Air Base. She did not neglect to gain experience by participating in the Aegean and Thrace exercises in 1937. In the same year, she took part in military operations during the "Dersim rebellion" that occurred in some cities of Turkey. Thus, she made her mark as the first Turkish female air force fighter pilot. Sabiha was rewarded with many accolades for her achievements during the operation. She was also honored with the Turkish Aeronautical Association's first "Murassa (Jewelled) Medal" for her outstanding performance.

In 1938, Gökçen toured the Balkan countries and made a five-day flight program that was highly appreciated. After Atatürk's death, she was appointed as the head instructor of the Turkish Aeronautical Association Türkkuşu Flight School, as the law regarding women serving in the army was enacted, and served as a flight instructor until 1954. She also became a board member of the association. Gökçen trained four female aviators here, namely Edibe Subaşı, Yıldız Uçman, Sahavet Karapas and Nezihe Viranyalı. Gökçen, who married First Lieutenant Kemal Esiner in 1940, was shaken by the untimely death of her husband on January 12, 1943. Traveling around the world for 28 years until 1964, Gökçen's book "A Life in Atatürk's Way" was published by the Turkish Aeronautical Association in 1981 to commemorate Atatürk's 100th birthday.

Gökçen, who had experience with 22 different civilian and warplanes throughout her pilot career, made her last flight in 1996 on a trip to America in her honor. That same year, she was selected as the only female pilot to be featured on the "The 20 Greatest Airmen in History" poster published by the United States Air Force. She made her mark in history by being the "first and only female aviator" to be deemed worthy of this award.

In addition, Gökçen is recognized as the "first female fighter pilot" by the Guinness Book of Records. She was later honored by taking part in the Air Command and Staff College's Eagle Gathering at Maxwell Air Force Base, she. The "Google Doodle" displayed in Turkey on March 22, 2009 was also mentioned in honor of her own birthday.

On March 22, 2001, Gökçen died of heart failure at the Gülhane Military Medical Academy. She was honored with more than 30 medals, medals, plaques and badges by the armies, associations and organizations of many countries for her great contributions to Turkish aviation throughout her life and her achievements in raising the status of Turkish women in the world. Also, the "Sabiha Gökçen International Airport" in Istanbul, Turkey was named in her memory and the airport was inaugurated on January 8, 2001, before her death.