Vecihi Hürkuş: We Started in Ankara, We Had to End in Istanbul

November 29, 1931. Eskisehir, the Kaaba of Aviation

On the morning after those two days we worked for the benefit of the institution, we were ascending the freezing canal of the short Kütahya-Eskişehir road ahead of us. Although we were dressed with everything we had in the small suitcases we carried with us, we were still cold. Half an hour later, I landed at Eskişehir Airport. The visit to Eskişehir, which occupies an important place in my memoirs, was a justified pleasure; I had many friends here, most of whom were my students. With my Vecihi XIV type airplane, I was landing in Eskişehir by accomplishing two very large air tours of nearly 10,000 kilometers.

Like my friends who appreciated this achievement on behalf of the Turkish aviation industry, there were also those who did not want to give my airplane permission to fly, but for some reason I could not see them, I was just thinking that I hope this success will be a starting point for our aviation industry.

Here, as guests of the aviators' dormitory, we were welcomed by a large crowd of people and young people. A big, enthusiastic program was being implemented and the heroic fliers of our air force were helping this enthusiasm.

The people of Eskisehir and the schools were in a festive mood; in fact, the children of this city listened with sincere pleasure to the sound of the engines of the airplanes every time they raised their heads, and these living conditions drew the enlightened youngsters to the aviation channel as a natural behavior. These happy Turkish youngsters encountered a new fire in their souls; the Turkish mind, the Turkish labor, the Turkish aviation ideal, that special wing of the imagined and national aviation pleasure was in front of them.

Measuring or comparing?... Measuring what with what?... The results of the technical trials conducted by the Czechoslovakian civil aviation department and the special diploma awarded by it had already been published in the Turkish press as a memory of honor for every Turk. Moreover, these wings had traveled across the entire Turkish homeland, from north to east, from east to center, from center to south, from south to north, over peaks whose bastions could not accommodate eagle nests, and had landed that day in the land of aviators. And with a primitive engine with a single spark plug.

This event gave the Turkish child a noble excitement, this excitement was the result of a sense of truth. Especially in my conferences, the flight and war memories listened to in an atmosphere of absolute silence inspired the love of aviation in waves of heroism. The sole aim of my every word was to instill faith in the science of aviation.

December 1, 1931. From Müttalip Meadow to Geyve

As I was leaving Eskisehir, where I had lived with my dear friends for two days in this atmosphere that filled the emotions with excitement, I was reliving my sad memories that would not die, every point of the Eskisehir Valley stretching westward below us was a sign from the War of Independence! Here was Muttalip Meadow, our airfield during the war, and what sad events had taken place in this field!

On the one hand, the graveyard on the southern outskirts of Eskişehir, the eternal grave of my sister Remziye, on the other hand, the place where the hero Fehmi was stabbed and martyred.

These were the heroes of my sad memories that brought tears to my eyes. The holy martyrs piled one on top of the other over the intervening years had built a temple of heroes in this land of aviators. We were visiting it with the Turk's own wing, blessing it from the deepest emotional corners of my heart and respectfully moving away.

Then, as we flew over towns and villages such as Çukurhisar, İnönü, Bozüyük, Karaköy, Söğüt, I was leafing through war memories in my mind, and occasionally I would cut the sound of my engine and point out the places that gave birth to these honorable memories and tell my brave engineer about them. Sadness and joy were mixed together; we were flying for the same purpose, visiting our fellow citizens. We were greeting the people of the villages we frequently encountered, and even every citizen, cordially. Finally, we arrived in Geyve, the last point of our flight that day. The big-hearted people of this small town caressed their own airplanes with the same joy and happiness, and with this deep love they made large donations for the benefit of the institution.

December 2, 1931. Next Stop Adapazari

That morning, we had taken off from Geyve and followed the Sakarya River, flying close to sea level and in full air. We were above the high mountains adorned with various colors, the scary curves of the Geyve Gorge, and then the waves of the huge Sapanca Lake. The transition from barren plateaus to this region gives one the feeling of jumping from deserts to the beach. We had so deeply enjoyed the ever-changing beauties of nature below us that if it hadn't been for the freezing cold, we would have had to lose altitude before we could get enough of the beauty of the attractive colors of the rainbow curves that our silver wings spun on the clouds.

Our Geyve-Adapazari road was a few mountains, a few plains and valleys. We crossed this road in one hour and fifteen minutes at our normal speed, greeting every citizen we encountered on our route on behalf of the organization, and landed among the people gathered in a meadow prepared on the southern outskirts of Adapazarı.

The beauties of this region of our country, which is a nest of extraordinary blessings, and the outstanding interest of the people of Adapazarı in the cause of aviation are not things that can be easily explained. In short, it gives one peace of mind that they have advanced diligence in terms of utilizing the blessings that nature has poured here. Adapazarians are people who know how to overcome poverty very well. They are also forward-thinking and sensitive citizens, especially in the field of aviation. Possibly as a result of the influence of the press on my airplane, they embraced it with such sincere pleasure that it brought tears to my eyes.

The demonstrations at the end of these speeches were remarkable; they embraced the cause of aviation with the deepest enthusiasm and organized donation competitions for the Air Association. In my memoirs, I described these extraordinary behaviors with the word extraordinary.

December 3, 1931. Flying to Istanbul over Lake Sapanca

We took off in the hours when the power of the rising sun dispersed the surrounding fog layers piece by piece. No matter how cold the air filling our lungs was, the warmth of the Marmara Region was a source of joy for us on our journey even in the coldest season.

As we ascended, we flew over the city again and again, greeted our citizens and continued our flight in the direction of İzmit. Below us, Lake Sapanca spread out like a small sea, and further on, the tongue of Marmara extending eastward, İzmit and its Gulf. At the final stage of our journey, as we visited our compatriots in all residential areas and scattered confetti at the same pace, the joy of our achievements was evident in both of our emotions.

The cities, towns and villages lined up along and around this route, and the beauty of nature that surrounded them, were pleasant landscapes that caressed our personal emotions. Following the curving coastline where water and land kissed, we would sometimes greet and thank the crew of a sailboat floating in the sea, and sometimes we would cross over to the land side and offer our organization's greetings and thanks to our fellow citizens whose chimneys were smoking.

With a flight of 10,000 kilometers, we were listening to such a sweet harmony in the moans of our single spark plug engine, which crossed climates, that it added confidence to our feelings and carried us to the horizons by breaking the infinity of the air sea in which we were swimming.

In the end, it was the islands and the whole of Istanbul. Istanbul was a place of happy homes that did not go out and would not go out, a nest of beings mingling under a light curtain of fog, the liveliness of all kinds of vehicles, piece by piece communities. Especially during the possible school break time, when the joyful, chirping play of the students in the school gardens completed the image of our last stage in my memories. This flight lasted for three and a half hours, one hour of which was spent in Istanbul alone. The confetti we scattered exceeded the sack. After a long, long circulation over the whole of Istanbul, we arrived at Yeşilköy Airport. We landed in the square amidst a large crowd of people who came to greet us.

December 3, 1931. In Istanbul, the President of THK received the telegram ending the trip

Mr. Vecihi,

I am pleased to see that the visit flights were completed without any accidents. Thank you for your efforts.

1. The machinist Hamid Efendi, who worked for you during the flight, is no longer required to be retained in the staff, therefore he will be dismissed as of the beginning of January, and as of the same date, the flight allowance given to you will be abolished.

2. The purchase of an engine for your aircraft has been examined by the headquarters committee and since it has been decided that our institution will be given one of the new prototype aircraft being built by the Ministry of National Defense, the purchase of an engine has been abandoned. 

3. None of the reports that should have been sent at each station have yet arrived at the headquarters and no propaganda has been possible due to their absence. Your detailed report should be sent to the headquarters as soon as possible, even the smallest incidents should be mentioned.

4. You have been given 45 days off for rest. I kindly ask you to return to your duties at the headquarters at the end of it.

President of the Turkish Air Association 

December 10, 1931. My Reply Telegram to the President of the THK

I received your orders dated December 3, 1931 and numbered 1355/27958, and I would like to express my gratitude for your kindness. I have fulfilled your orders regarding the visit flights completely and in such a way as to achieve good results for the benefit of our Institution. I am enclosing my report on these flights. As can be seen in the content of the report, the benefits of the visit flights were very high and attracted general interest. 

However, due to the importance of the subject, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that some of the officials neglected their duties and did not pay attention to the provisions of the directive despite my constant warnings. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it is necessary for the benefits of our great Institution to elect people who love their duties and are active in such organizations. Especially the honorary president of our Antalya Branch, in my opinion, accepts this duty as a difficult and heavy burden. I would like to submit the name of Mr. Mazlum, honorary accountant, who has worked very successfully for the benefit of the Institution with great effort, to your Presidency with thanks.

I would like to request your Presidency to take into account not only the administrative but also the financial assets in the selection of officials.

It is not as if there are not many high-minded benefactors of our organization in every corner of our country. I am of the opinion that it is in the interest of our great Institution not to lose sight of the importance of this point in each of our branches. For example, I believe that the exciting effects of the President of our Phoenicia Branch, which have stirred the feelings of our sensitive nation, are very bright and worthy of appreciation. My plane has flown more than 150 hours until the end of this mission. As you know, all airplanes in our military air organizations are maintained inside the hangar and their diapers are completely changed. For my airplane, which is exposed to all kinds of weather conditions in the open, this period cannot exceed 120 hours at most. My airplane, as you know, has spent the whole trip in the open and affected by all weather conditions. For this reason, it is necessary to change the cloths and to overhaul the engine, and I have informed you that the cost of this process will amount to 1,100 liras, and since I have rendered a great service to our great Institution with your orders, it is your decision to accept the cost for the protection of the first Turkish airplane.

My plane, which will be created with this small expense, will undoubtedly be honored with many more services.

Before informing him of your orders regarding the dismissal of my mechanic, Hamid Efendi, I would like to bring to your kind attention a point in this regard. I would like to ask your approval that this person, who has played a great part in the success of this expedition, be rewarded with a bonus that you may deem appropriate when dismissing him. Finally, sir, I request that my compensation be accepted.

Thus, this second trip for the benefit of the THK ended in Istanbul instead of Ankara.

Note

Vecihi K VI, the first airplane built in Turkey by Aviator Vecihi in 1924, was destroyed. After a 150-hour tour of the country for the Turkish Aeronautical Association with the first civilian Turkish aircraft Vecihi XIV, which he built in 1930, the 1,100 liras he asked for the repair of the aircraft and the maintenance of its engine were not given, and this aircraft, which should have been kept and put in a museum because it was the first Turkish aircraft, was destroyed.