Did Atatürk Board an Airplane as a Passenger? Or Never?

Sadi Borak and General Celal Erikan tell us: 

Journalist and author Sadi Borak, who is also known for several works written about Atatürk, in his book Hayat Tarihi Mecmu (Life History Magazine) published in 1961, attributes the reason why Atatürk did not get on an airplane to the bad memory of the incident that happened during the Picardie maneuvers in 1910, when Mustafa Kemal, a young officer, was warned at the last moment by his commander to not get on the plane and the plane crashed after taking off:

The 11th anniversary of the Republic was being celebrated at the Army House in Ankara. Atatürk was also attending the celebration reception. Officers of the Iraqi Air Force were among the guests at the October 29 Ball. During a conversation with the air officers that night, Atatürk recounted a memory: 

"It was 1910. Ali Rıza Pasha and I were invited to the Picardie Maneuvers. At the end of the maneuvers, there were demonstrations with airplanes that were still in their infancy. After that, it was announced that the foreign officers participating in the maneuvers would be allowed to board these planes if they wished. As I was heading towards one of the planes, Ali Rıza Pasha grabbed me by the wrist and warned me: "The food you don't know will either give you a stomachache or a headache". An officer from another country boarded the plane instead of me. After making a turn in the air, this plane crashed and crashed into the ground. I was saved from death."

The same account is given by General Celal Erikan in his book Commander Atatürk, the first volume of which was published by Türkiye İş Bankası Publishing in 1964.

Stuart Kline: Atatürk Secretly Boarded an Airplane Three Times

Based on an interview with Stuart Kline, who is known for his research on the history of Turkish aviation, in an article titled "Atatürk took a plane" by Ozan Köse and published in Airkule on August 25, 2007, it is stated that Atatürk secretly boarded a plane three times and took a tour of Istanbul. The legendary pilot Deli Tahir from Rumeli Kavak claims that Atatürk, who traveled from Florya to Yeşilköy airport with only his aide, took Atatürk on a plane three times and took him around the skies of Istanbul. Kline stated that he based this claim on Deli Tahir's son Mahir Maner.

I do not find this claim credible. I know that memories that are not based on documents are not considered credible in historiography. Even in the Watch Book, which has been kept day by day since 1933, there is no record of Atatürk taking a plane. In the photographs of Atatürk, of which we have seen thousands, we do not come across a single frame of Atatürk on an airplane. Some of the pictures showing Atatürk boarding a plane are nothing more than pictures of Atatürk entering passenger planes on the ground to see them for the purpose of inauguration, etc., to take a tour of the interior.

Moreover, if Atatürk was going to board an airplane, why would he want to do it secretly from everyone. All state facilities are at his disposal. İsmet İnönü traveled by plane countless times. Atatürk could have done the same if he wanted to. Obviously, the incident in 1910 must have left a deep impression on him. They may have made a decision not to take the airplane afterwards. It may be a correct approach to attribute Atatürk's decision not to board the plane to the plane crash in France that took place in front of his eyes. However, Atatürk did not say that these maneuvers were the reason why he did not board the plane. 

Atatürk, who was aware of the development of airplanes, described the airplanes in 1910 as 'childhood', but later, with a visionary approach, he said, "The future is in the skies", founded the Turkish Aeroplane Society in 1925, two years after the proclamation of the Republic, and launched the TOMTAŞ factory in Kayseri as a Turkish-German partnership. 

Historian Dr. Selim Erdoğan: In 1910, during the Picardie Maneuvers, the plane that Atatürk gave up on crashed and the myth that 'Atatürk never took a plane again' is not true

Meanwhile, Dr. Selim Erdoğan, who wrote an article dated May 11, 2020 on the Independent Aviators website on the subject of whether Atatürk should get on the plane or not:

"... Ali Rıza Pasha could not go to France due to his illness, and there was no such fatal accident at the close of the maneuvers. Similarly, it is another narrative that two planes collided in the air at the beginning of the maneuvers and crashed very close to Mustafa Kemal and that observers from other countries in the vicinity came to wish him well. This is yet another untrue legend. From the beginning to the end of the Great Autumn Maneuvers of 1910, there were no plane accidents with loss of life, and the 14 planes that started the maneuvers returned to their hangars at the end of the program intact."

To put it more clearly, the legend that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is rumored to have told a group of pilots during the celebrations of the 11th anniversary of the Republic, and which was made history by Sadi Borak in his article titled "Why didn't Atatürk get on a plane?" has nothing to do with reality."

Yes, it is a complicated subject. History is written based on documents. Memories only give an idea. When I look at all that has been written, I believe that the narratives about Atatürk's getting on or not getting on an airplane are nothing but a legend.

Moreover, it does not seem credible to assume that Atatürk, who encouraged his adopted daughter Sabiha Gökçen, whom he apparently loved dearly, to become a pilot and watched her flights, did not get on airplanes because of the fear of 'crashing planes'. If he was afraid of airplanes, would it have been possible for him to allow his adopted daughter to become a pilot?

Conclusion

Some say that Atatürk, who participated in the Picardie Maneuvers in France in 1910 when Mustafa Kemal was a young officer, was affected by the crash of an airplane he had planned to board but somehow decided against it at the last minute, and never flew again. There are those who claim that Atatürk personally told this incident to the aviators attending the Republic Ball in 1933, which strengthens this narrative. However, they argue that such a narration at the aforementioned ball can only be a legend, and that Ali Rıza Pasha, who is said to have participated in the maneuvers in question with Atatürk, was unable to go to France due to illness. Therefore, they argue that this account is also a legend.

All in all, it is known that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk never rode in the airplanes that took to the skies in the years when he took his first steps as a soldier, and although the reason is not known for certain, it is known that he did not show any desire to ride an airplane throughout his life. 

What is known is that Atatürk attached great importance to aviation and aviation throughout his life. He founded the Turkish Aeronautical Association, which instilled the love of aviation in young people in our country, and established the first aircraft factory in Kayseri so that we could build our own aircraft. By saying 'İstikbal Göklerdedir' (The future is in the skies), he shows us that in Turkey's future, in the defense of the country, there must be aircraft, flying vehicles and the factories that produce them. 

References

Sadi Borak, Hayat Tarihi Mecmuası, issue 4, May 1961, p.52

Ozan Köse, Atatürk took a plane, AirKule, August 25, 2007, https://www.airkule.com/haber/ATATURK-UCAGA-BINMIS/1726

Selim Erdoğan, "Why didn't Atatürk get on a plane?" myth has nothing to do with reality, Bağımsız Havacılar, May 11, 2020, https://www.bagimsizhavacilar.com/ataturk-ucaga-neden-binmezdi-diye-tarihe-mal-edilen-efsanenin-gercekle-ilgisi-yok/

Mustafa Armağan, "Was Atatürk Afraid of Airplanes?", Personal Website, September 6, 2010, http://www.mustafaarmagan.com.tr/genel/ataturk-ucaktan-korkar-miydi/