defense

Şener Koltuk, TAI Test Pilot Who Became a Legend in His Lifetime

In April 1987, at the rank of Major, he became a TAI test pilot as part of a protocol between TAI and the Turkish Air Force. Instead of following the usual pattern of transition to airline pilot, Koltuk preferred to sit in the TAI test pilot seat. Within the scope of Öncel I, or "Peace Onyx I" project, he served as an F-16 test pilot at TAI for many years.

15 years ago today, Turkey's legendary test pilot Şener Koltuk passed away...

On the anniversary of the death of Şener Koltuk, a test pilot whose name has gone down in the history of Turkish aviation, I would like to tell you a little bit about him.

The late Şener Koltuk was born in Istanbul in 1951. He completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Istanbul. In 1968, he entered the Air Force Academy and graduated in 1970 with the rank of lieutenant. In the following years, while explaining how he became an aviator and pilot, he would say: "Being a pilot was not my childhood dream. I was thinking of becoming a doctor. I won the Istanbul Medical Faculty, but I couldn't go. At that time, my father was a soldier serving in the Land Forces. The Air Force Academy had come to Istanbul. So I went to Istanbul. So it was not my childhood ideal. Then life dragged me!"

Following his graduation from the Air Force Academy, he completed his pilot training in Çiğli. Afterwards, he successfully served as a pilot and instructor pilot in the combat and flight training squadron commands of the Turkish Air Force for many years.

In 1973, he was assigned to the 132nd Combat Readiness Squadron Command in Konya.

(Side by side with his 1970s classmates (Elbruz Katı and Akın Şanlıtürk), with whom he graduated from the Air Force Academy.

While serving at the 132nd Squadron Command, Şener KOLTUK participated in the Cyprus Operation, and was honored to take part in this historic operation, which he always spoke of with pride. When his duty in Konya ended, he was transferred to İzmir, to the Flight School Command in Çiğli. He worked as a flight instructor for many years at the 121st Developmental Jet Training Squadron Command, and played a role in the training of countless pilots for the Air Force.

After İzmir, he was assigned to Bandırma, to the 162nd Squadron Command at the 6th Main Jet Base. While serving as an instructor pilot in F-104 fighter jets in this squadron, Şener Koltuk's life course changed when the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) started to produce F-16 aircraft in Mürted in 1984 in partnership with the American Lockheed Martin company. At that time, a first was taking place in Turkey. In April 1987, at the rank of Major, he became a TAI test pilot within the framework of a protocol signed between TAI and the Turkish Air Force. Instead of following the usual pattern of transition to airline pilot, Koltuk preferred to sit in the TAI test pilot's seat. As part of the Öncel I, or "Peace Onyx I" project, he served as an F-16 test pilot at TAI for many years. The Öncel I project was designed to produce eight aircraft in the United States and 152 aircraft in the Turkish Aerospace Industry, of which 136 were to be in the F-16C (single-pilot) and 24 in the F-16D (dual-pilot) configuration. The aircraft was named "Peace Onyx-Öncel" in memory of Major Okan Öncel, who took part in the test flight team during the selection process but was martyred during a mission flight.

The F-16 production process in Turkey began in 1983. On February 16, 1983, a team consisting of Pilot Colonel Zübeyir Batur and Pilot Major Okan Öncel, together with Major General Sadi Kaban, the Chief of Planning and Principles of the Air Force, went on an inspection trip to the United States to test and see the F-16, F-18 and F-20 aircraft on site. All three types of aircraft were flown and a detailed technical report was prepared. Based on this report, it was decided to produce the F-16 on September 7, 1983.

Meanwhile, the F-16 production contract signed with the USA on May 15, 1984 was named Öncel I in memory of Major Okan Öncel, who was martyred in a tragic flight accident in winter conditions on November 17, 1983. The F-16 training squadron at Mürted was also named Öncel Training Squadron Command (143rd Squadron).

Test Pilot Şener KOLTUK conducted ex-factory tests of the F-16 aircraft produced at TAI, which was established in the Mürted plain, next to the 4th Main Jet Base Command, before they were delivered to the Air Force. During the process of delivering the aircraft to the Air Force without any errors, he flew countless test flights as a test pilot. According to records, he flew a total of 521 sorties.

First Experience Flight at Mürted

On October 14, 1987, at 11.05 a.m., an F-16 released its brakes from the main runway of the 4th Main Jet Base Command and began its take-off run with a deafening thud. The first F-16, produced by TAI, the handiwork of Turkish engineers, was being tested by a Turkish pilot and was about to take to the skies. As if mesmerized by the slow acceleration of the airplane, everyone watching this take-off run, especially the engineers, held their breath.

Without a doubt, the F-16 with tail number 86-0068 was opening a new page in our history. This was the first fighter jet produced in Turkey. It was being tested for the first time. The test pilot was a 36-year-old major: Şener Koltuk. Koltuk, whose name would later be heard all over Turkey, was proudly in the seat of the F-16, pulling the lever on the right console at take-off speed. The plane took off without any problems, and the skies over Mürted met the fighting falcon it had been waiting for for years.

Years later, in an interview with a newspaper, his answer to the question "How did it feel to fly the first F-16?" was as follows: "That airplane was made with our workers, our engineers. In other words, everything was ours. We came up to 92 percent with those airplanes. Only the cockpit part in the nose was ready-made. We were building the wing, fuselage, center fuselage and rear part here. It makes you proud to be a test pilot of an airplane built by our own people."

When asked, "Did you experience any stress because it was the first time?", he replied, "I swear, everyone was stressed, the employees of the factory were stressed, but not me, because I had confidence and faith in both them and my own experience."

Turkey's test pilot Şener Koltuk takes his first test flight with the 86-0068 aircraft

1361 test flight hours flown with zero accidents

He served as a Test Pilot and Flight Manager at TAI for 18 years. With a total of 1,361 hours of zero accident and destruction success with TAI-originated F-16 aircraft, he achieved an unattainable record.

On October 14, 1987, he successfully flew the first F-16 with tail number 86-0068. During his 18 years at TAI, as a test pilot and flight operations manager, he completed the test flights of all F-16 aircraft produced and played a major role in their delivery to the Air Force.

Şener Koltuk was a test pilot who completed a total of 1,361 hours of test flights with zero accidents, a significant achievement in this field.

Şener Koltuk passed away in Ankara on June 12, 2008 at the early age of 57, following a heart attack.

'Kelle Koltuk Şener'

They called him the head seat. The F-16 seat became one with his last name. Those who gave him this nickname were undoubtedly very right. Because in order to do this job, it was really necessary to take the head seat. He would take off, try all the test maneuvers by the book, and literally 'kick the hell out of' the plane that had never flown before. Every time, on every flight, he took off, dived, climbed, banked, turned and landed safely. When he said, "OK, this is a good airplane, it can fly safely in the Air Force", that's when the airplane was handed over to the Air Force and young pilots. He always made test flights with the awareness and realization of this great responsibility.

Şener Koltuk's F-104 Adventure

He is about to land in Bandirma, he reaches his hand to the last console to open the landing gear lever and gives the lever down. He sees that the landing gear, which always opens, is giving him trouble this time. The left landing gear will not open. Normally, he doesn't have to land, it is left to the pilot to decide whether or not to land according to the checklist. At the end of the landing, the airplane could be tilted to one side. Only the pilot himself can take this responsibility anywhere in the world. Cumhur ASPARUK, who served as the Commander of the Turkish Air Force with the rank of General between 2001 and 2003, the Colonel of the time and the Operations Commander of the base, comes to the flight tower. His commander knows the magnitude of the danger. He does not want the pilot to put himself in danger. He also takes responsibility. He instructs Şener Koltuk, "Jump!" "To hell with the plane, it's no more valuable than my pilot!"

Cumhur Asparuk, 6th Main Jet Base Operations Commander (picture with 162nd Squadron)

If Şener Koltuk listens to the commander and jumps, he will go to the hospital for a routine check-up, he will be banned from flying for 28 days, this is the rule that applies to everyone... The plane is faulty, but the pilot is more faulty. Despite the commander taking full responsibility, Koltuk says, "I will drink the soup at home tonight, sir". Yes, he doesn't jump and decides to land his plane. He puts the landing gear up to avoid uncontrolled drift on the runway after landing. Without any landing gear, he lands his plane safely on the fuselage! And he lands it in such a way that it is like landing on a wheel. There is no fire, no one is hurt. He stays on the runway. He gets off the plane safely. Coincidentally, 27 days later, he made the first test flight of the same plane after its malfunction was fixed, and wrote 'flies safely' in the plane's logbook.

In 2004, his assignment at TAI came to an end. There were no more F-16s to test. He proudly saluted from the exit gate of the factory, left behind this factory he loved so much and started his business life in Ankara. He opened a restaurant. It was an unfamiliar field, but he wanted to succeed in it without giving up. "Doing business is harder than flying F-16s," he told his friends: "In this business, it's like skating on ice, they write on water, there is no honesty! In such an environment, is it easier to fly or to do business? If you ask me, of course it is easier to fly."

Due to workload and stress, he probably did not have much time to have his heart tested, as the legendary test pilot of TAI, Şener Koltuk. On June 12, 2008, he died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 57, the same age as his ancestor.