Knight Pilots in Turkish Aviation

Chivalry is a title that defines people who have achieved success by fighting selflessly, virtuously and heroically for the sake of lofty ideals. Knights are brave, calibre, charismatic and noble. They do not stoop to money, position and other interests, fight bravely and do not backstab. The tradition of knights fighting for other missions in the Middle Ages is over today, but this notion is not. When flat adjectives are not enough to describe such people, the concept of 'chivalry' finds its place... The first common denominator of chivalrous people is that they have a 'cause' for which they pay a price and take risks. In this direction, they strive in an idealistic and devoted attitude. They work full-time and devotedly, not 'part-time' with a civil servant mentality; they spend the time they steal from their private life for the cause they have set their heads on...

The title of knight, which used to be given to warrior cavalrymen, heroic soldiers and daring pilots, is now also given to civilians (statesmen, scientists, soldiers, doctors; artists, writers, journalists, etc.) who are distinguished for their extraordinary achievements. Examples from the Western world include 'Legion de Honore, Chevalier dans l'Ordre National, Knight Grand Cross, Knight Commander, Order of the Garter'...etc. In Seljuk and Ottoman cultures, there were titles similar to knighthood such as 'Serdengeçti, Alperen, Fedai, Akıncı, Sipahi, Uç Beyi'... Honourary awards such as the Order of Merit, the State Medal of Honour and Pride, and the Turkish Armed Forces Medal for Outstanding Bravery and Valour, which were established by the Republic of Turkey for outstanding achievers and heroes, are still awarded to those who deserve them today.

Outstanding Achievement in Aviation and Knighthood

Similarities were drawn between the personality and behaviour of fighter pilots and the chivalric legends of medieval romanticism. Pilots who dive to their deaths into enemy targets with their aircraft and play invaluable roles in winning the war with their skilful and courageous manoeuvres are glorified in the eyes of the public. Manfred Von Richtofen, a young pilot of the German Air Force who shot down 80 aircraft in the First World War, was known as the 'Red Knight '. He was a role model and cult hero for German youth; at his death his enemies, the French, organised a magnificent funeral for him... The superhero pilot of the Second World War was Erich Hartmann, known as the 'Blond Knight of Germany'. Many countries' Air Forces keep the knightly tradition alive today in the names of their squadrons: Black Knights at West Point and Singapore Air K in the USA , Red Knights in the Canadian Air K, Russian Knights in the Russian Air K , the White Knight aircraft that carried SpaceShip Two to the first stage of space travel, etc.

The fact that the knighthood, which is not officially used in our country, has a counterpart in aviation is embodied in the following words of Em.Hv.Plt.Brig. Avni Kandemir's words as follows: 'When one thinks of an aviator, one thinks of a person who knows how to play with a crowbar and steering wheel... They are extraordinary, fearless people who are devoted to flying, integrated with their profession. These aviators are called knights.' (1).

Em.Hv.Plt.Col. İsmail Meker also emphasised the characteristics of knight pilots with the words: "Knight pilots were wise men who respected even their enemies and did not ambush them". Captain Meker, who later served as a civilian aviator, described his feelings about his military piloting period with the words 'Controlled movements in civilian, tie-clad piloting, free movements in military knight aviation' (2).

Legendary Knight Aviators

In the last 100 years, there have been many 'super' or 'legendary' aviators in Turkish military and civil aviation, who have become role models for the next generations. The difficulty in trying to classify such aviators or pilots is that those who are in the public eye come to mind and some values are overlooked. Every study carried out with good intentions is subject to questions such as "According to what, according to whom?". Nevertheless, here are three of the evaluations (fortunately) made:

The list of 'Legendary Turkish Aviators' inhistorian author Stuart Kline's book titled 'Chronology of Turkish Aviation' : Vecihi Hürkuş, Tahir Maner, Sabiha Gökçen, Talip Demirkol, Enver Akoğlu, Tarık Gökeri.

The late Em. Hv.Plt. Major İrfan Sarp's list of 'Unforgettable / Name Left Behind Airmen': Vecihi Hürkuş, Sabiha Gökçen, M. Ali Kurçer, Süreyya İlmen, Necati Artan, Kemal Yada, Suat Eraybar, Lütfü Gündoğdu, Muzaffer Erbilgin.

Em. Hv.Plt. Korg. Erdoğan Öznal's list of 'Legendary Airmen': Enver Akoğlu, Erol Akıncı, Celal Yakal, Yahya Razi Birkan, Ali Tekin.

Most of the aviators honoured in these lists are military pilots of 2-3 generations ago. We wish that such honours had been given to these valuable people, who are no longer with us today, when they were still alive, and that they had been given the opportunity to experience the pride they deserve. It is an act of gratitude that such recognitions and registrations are made in a fair and just manner, including civil aviators, and it is unfair not to do so. We believe that these are instrumental in increasing the 'good ones' within the system.

We owe a lot to our pilots, who put safety at the top of their priority list as much as they are skilful and brave. We can be proud of our colleagues who continuously improve their professional knowledge and skills, and keep their health and performance high for the safety of the passengers they carry. Not only for the pilot group, the technical performance of controllers, maintenance and other personnel who do their job best should also be evaluated and rewarded. We, as the Boards of Directors of the Aviation Medicine Association (most of whose members are flight physicians and aviation psychologists) and the Aviation and Space Medicine Platform Association, have tried to make a different evaluation. From the perspective of 'Human Factor Experts', we have looked for pilots who have distinguished themselves with their exemplary attitudes in the contexts of dedication, aviation philosophy, training and safety culture, and we have deemed it appropriate to award 'Knighthood' to three active civil pilots in 2023...

We are pleased to present to the Turkish aviation community, in order of professional seniority, Erdoğan Menekşe, Üner Beköz and Ali İsmet Öztürk. We hope that this list will expand in the coming years.

On 19 October 2023, at the Aviation and Aerospace Medicine Congress held in Eskişehir, the following are the short biographies of our pilots who were presented their plaques and certificates with a ceremony:

Erdoğan Menekşe:

Born in 1947, he is a national parachutist, pilot and aerial photographer. His love for aviation started when he was in middle school and he attended model aircraft and parachuting courses in Etimesgut as 'Air Scouts'; he became a pilot in 1964 at the age of 18. He has 1,500 parachute jumps and 20 thousand hours of flight time. He represented Turkey 9 times as a National Parachutist and served as a THK parachute instructor for 10 years from 1963. In 1985, he broke 3 world records during his NewYork-Gender-Ankara flight; in 1997, at the 1st World Air Games-WAG, he completed the 7-stage long-range sprint race between Rejkavik-Ankara in 1st place and won the Gold Medal. In 1975, he founded Menekşe Aviation Company and in 1985 Burak Aviation Association and gave pilotage trainings. He has trained thousands of pilots, and in 1998, within the scope of the 'Aviator Youth' Campaign, he gave aviation vaccination to 550 young people (Young Turks) between the ages of 7-17 by flying them free of charge. In 1990, he published Turkey's first aerial photo album; in 2006, his books titled 'Anatolian Civilisations Under My Wings' and in 2023, 'Pilots of the Republic'. He is the President of'Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association-AOPA' organisation in Turkey. His son and daughter (İlker, İlkim) are also pilots.

Üner Beköz:

After obtaining his pilot's licence in the Air Force, he served civil aviation in his later life. At the Aviation Institute he founded at Antalya Bilim University, he makes extraordinary efforts to train pilot candidates in the spirit of aviation. Employing flight physicians and psychologists in his school, installing devices that simulate physiological difficulties in flight (hypoxia, vertigo) under ground conditions, and implementing emergency landing training (ditching & survival) in water are a few of the things he has done even though he is not forced to do so by the instructions. It sees no harm in 'sacrificing profit' by eliminating 75 per cent of the young people who are ready to pay the training fee, after aptitude measurement, psychological tests, teamwork, distraction, spatial incompatibility and health assessments. They also attach great importance to alcohol and substance abuse issues and have candidates undergo more subtle tests. On top of these, by asking the candidates to prepare a 'graduation thesis', it wants to explain that piloting is not just about driving an aeroplane and to provide a scientific understanding. He writes technical books titled 'Basic Flight Theory' and 'VFR Applications' and provides guides to his students... His daughter Sera Beköz has also become a pilot with his love for aviation.

Ali İsmet Öztürk:

His great-grandfather İsmet Bey led the donation of an aircraft by collecting donations to support the War of Independence; Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who came to Sivrihisar, was a guest in his house. He started flying in 1984 and aerobatics in 1988; until 2013, he participated in 500 Air Shows in 22 different countries and completed 859 demonstration flights without any errors or malfunctions. He has flight experience in more than 50 aircraft and 9 thousand hours of flight time. He is Turkey's first professional civil aerobatic pilot. In addition to being an aircraft and helicopter pilot, he also holds a maintenance technician licence.

The aerobatic aircraft he named 'Purple Violet' was designed by him, and he is the inventor of a manoeuvre (Ali's Cevak) named after him... He was selected as the 'Best Solo Display' in many shows in Europe, and received the 'Display Authorisation' certificate in the highest category from CAA. After working as an aerial photographer and aerial film maker at Istanbul Hezarfen Airport, he moved to Sivrihisar and established the Air and Space Museum of BC, named after his father Mehmet Sadullah Öztürk, and the Sivrihisar International Sportive Aviation Centre and Necati Artan Facilities. In the museum, he exhibits not dead but living-flying aircraft; he instils a love of aviation in young people by organising airshows and flies them for free. His daughter Semin Öztürk Şener is Turkey's first and only female aerobatic pilot.

In the words of Ali İsmet Öztürk, we appreciate and respect our knight pilots who see aviation not as a profession but as a 'sect' .

1. Candaş E. (Editör). Hava Kuvvetleri Anılar Kitabı. 1997. s. 354-56.

2. Meker İ. Göklerde 41 Yıl. 1. Baskı. Papirüs Yay. İstanbul, 2020. s. 11,17,113.