Flight Schools and Pilots Day Celebration in the History of the Turkish Air Force
Flight Schools in the History of the Turkish Air Force (2)
Need for Establishment of Aircraft School:
The opinion that it was necessary to open an Aircraft School first in order to make progress in the field of Military Aviation in the Ottoman Empire began to be accepted and voiced among those who worked in this field at that time.
Lieutenant Colonel Süreyya Bey, who has a leading place among these people, expressed his thoughts on the reasons for opening the Aircraft School as follows:
“... I realized that the education of one of our officers in Europe was very costly and that in the end we would be left with nothing but a few educated officers who had returned from Europe. However, if an Aircraft School and a center were established in Istanbul, many aviator officers would be trained again in our country, and the trained ones could be trained and accustomed (adjustment); I decided to resist my insistence, thinking that the problems of breaking and repairing tools (planes) could be solved easily and with little expense in the repair shops to be established in the air school, and that we would always have an aviation school at our disposal, and that an aircraft center would already be established in our army, thanks to this. As a result, my opinion was accepted and a small appropriation came from the Ministry of Finance.”
As can be seen, the establishment of the Aircraft School was initially thought to form the basis of an aviation center that would provide versatile service, in addition to training pilots.
R.E.P. Aircraft (from France)
In the meantime, as we mentioned in our previous article, it was decided to send five officers abroad for piloting training. Correspondence was made within the Ottoman Army in order to determine the candidates who are willing to be pilots for this subject. One of these correspondences, as an example, is presented to your attention below:
Sending Officers to Pilot Training:
Subject: About five officers to be sent to Europe for pilot training. [*] January 17, 1912
Until the aeronautical school is established in our country, five officers for the Army Humayun are due to be sent to Europe to study at the aeronautical schools. it is recommended.
First Corps Humayun
First Commander of Erkanıharbiye Ferik
[*] ATASE Archive no. 7 – 2036, cabinet 74, compartment 9, file 4
In the article published by the First Corps on January 17, 1912, it is stated that, "Because it was decided to send five officers for the Ottoman Army to Europe to receive training in aircraft schools, until the Aircraft School was established in Istanbul; Studies for the establishment of Aircraft School intensified in the beginning of January 1912.
As a matter of fact, on March 12, 1912, the General Staff's thoughts on this subject and the order given to the Continental Science Inspectorate were as follows:
Article on the Establishment of Aircraft School:
Subject: About the Establishment of Aircraft School. March 12, 1912
On average, the annual cost of training 30-40 aviator officers in Istanbul is fifteen thousand liras, and the annual cost of the aforementioned school (Aircraft School) is estimated at five thousand liras, including the salary of aviator teachers and machinists.
Since the price of an airplane is between one thousand and one thousand five hundred liras, since 15 to 20 airplanes had to be purchased for the officers who would study in 1912, twenty thousand lira was calculated for this purchase. For this purpose, the expenditure of 40,000 liras, together with the establishment of a school, permanent expenses and the purchase of aircraft, was decided by the General Staff, and it was asked from the Ministry of War with the letter dated 13 February 1911 and numbered 923.
According to the report from the Paris Military Attaché; It is necessary to consider that an aircraft production factory can be established in Istanbul on behalf of the government, the responsibility of establishing and operating the factory is carried out by a branch affiliated to the Ministry of War, it can be realized with five thousand liras for the establishment of an aircraft manufacturing factory, and in this context, the subject should be examined in all aspects by the Science Inspectorate.
Great states and neighboring governments (Greece and Bulgaria) began to give extraordinary importance to aviation. Since it would definitely not be appropriate for the Ottoman Army to be deprived of this class of weapon, it was important and necessary to develop the aviation (aviation) based on science, such as ballooning, telegraphy and others under the Fenniye Inspectorate, as a separate organization by the Inspectorate, since previously (by the Ministry of War). ) to follow up the 40,000 liras that were reported to be allowed and to quickly complete the training of the officers (to be sent for pilot training), and to complete the procedures regarding the establishment of the aircraft school and the purchase of the necessary aircraft as soon as possible.
Chief of the General Staff
Deperdussin Aircraft
Order of Mahmut Şevket Pasha for Aircraft Donation:
Subject: About Aircraft Donation. [*] 14 March 1912 (1 March 1328)
…
For the establishment of aviation in our army in a fundamental way, a general aircraft school in Dersaadet (Istanbul) and a branch office in some army centers were established in accordance with the proposal and accepted plan of the General Staff of the General Staff, up to 50,000 liras for the purchase of aircraft, if necessary. it seems natural that an amount can be collected as aid in a short time as follows.
In this regard, there is no doubt that the general staff, officers and officers of the army headquarters will participate in order to deduct their salaries to be paid in installments in 6 months. Since it is considered natural that they will want to participate in the service to the country, it is necessary to allow the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to be included.
Mahmut Sevket
[*] ATASE Archive no. 1- 4, cabinet 71, compartment 9, file 35
Selection of Deperdussin Aircraft to the Aircraft School:
The Board started to work, while it was busy with money collection and investigations about aviation, on the other hand, a search began for two planes purchased from France through the embassy.
Mahmut Şevket Pasha wanted the square to be on the Anatolian side. However, such a place could not be found in the Anatolian side and it was passed to the Rumelian side. A two-person Deperdussin with 50 horsepower and a one-man Deperdussin small school airplane with 25 horsepower, purchased from Europe, arrived in Istanbul on March 15, 1912.
These planes were delivered to Captain Fesa and Lieutenant Yusuf Kenan, who had returned to their homeland in February 1912 after completing his pilot training in Europe.
Captain Fesa is the number one pilot of our army and has the pilot diploma of France (780). Lieutenant Yusuf Kenan (Brove No 797) left the aviation business a short time later.
Airplanes have been preserved in tents set up in the selected aircraft square in Yeşilköy.
Negotiations were held with various European aircraft organizations for the establishment of the Aircraft School and the training of aviators. Among these, the suggestions of the French REP Aircraft Factory were considered the most appropriate, and a contract was signed with this company.
According to this contract, the REP Factory has undertaken to train ten pilots and fifteen aircraft mechanics free of charge as the needs of the air school, to establish the school within three months by sending an aviator engineer to Istanbul, and to bring the school to a level that can be fully managed by Turkish officers in a short time. . After that, studies to determine the place where the school will be established began.
R.E.P. As a result of the contacts made with the director of the aircraft factory, the stage of establishment of the Aircraft School was started within the conditions determined and the report prepared by the Lieutenant Colonel Süreyya Board.
Determining the Location of the Airplane School in Yeşilköy:
On March 20, 1912, 4000 liras was demanded from the airplane fund for the airplanes bought from the REP factory. In addition to this aid, the army and navy officers and members of the nation gave one fourth of their salaries to the airplane chest to be paid in six months.
Mahmut Şevket Pasha wanted the Air School and Center to be established around Üsküdar. However, during the investigations, a suitable place to make a runway was not found in this region. Thereupon, a suitable place was sought by moving to the Rumeli side of Istanbul.
As a result, the northern part of the intersection where the road from Yeşilköy to Safraköy, from Istanbul to Küçükçekmece intersects was accepted as the most suitable place for the Aircraft School and Center. It has been concluded that this place is in the desired quality due to the wind direction, terrain condition and proximity to the railway.
Upon this decision, the Mayor's Office, with its letter dated April 6, 1912, asked the Chief of Staff to send a cartographer to determine the location of the airstrip to be built in Yeşilköy.
According to the plan, the school to be built on this selected land would also be the center of aviation. Here, a pilot, raist, mechanic would be trained. After that, as personnel and materials were provided, a company would be distributed to the Army Inspectorates, and then an aircraft company would be distributed to the Corps as the adult personnel increased.
In the spring of 1912, two hangars were started to be built on the square selected by the Board in Yeşilköy.
The Story of April 26, 1912 Pilots' Day Celebration:
Our airplane was going to participate in the great military ceremony to be held at the Hürriyet Monument on April 27, 1912, by flying. While preparations were being made for this, the tents were destroyed by a sudden storm at the end of March, and the wings and rudders of the planes were broken to such an extent that they could not fly.
At this time, one of the two REP aircraft to be purchased by agreement with the aircraft factory manager (REP), who was dealing with making contracts about the aircraft to be sold, was brought to Yeşilköy on April 20, 1912 with the pilot Gordon Bell, and was tested by flying on April 26, 1912. Thus, his participation in the morning ceremony was ensured on April 27, 1912.
At noon on April 26, 1912, Tayyareci Yzb. Fesa Bey became famous for being the first Turkish airplane pilot to fly with a Turkish airplane over Turkish territory by flying in Yeşilköy with his Deperdüssen airplane. Therefore, on April 26, exactly 88 years after this date, on April 26, 2000, "TURKISH PILOTS DAY" was declared and started to be celebrated.
R.E.P Airplanes
R.E.P. It is our first aircraft to join the Turkish Air Force. Designed and manufactured by Ronald-Esnold-Pieteri (REP), this aircraft made its maiden flight in early 1912. It was put into service in the same year and it is planned to be taken in order to develop aviation in the Ottoman Army, in accordance with the agreement reached between the Company and the Ministry of Defense (Ministry of Defense). The first REP aircraft joined the Ottoman Army on March 15, 1912, on the anniversary of Sultan Reşad's accession to the throne. Seven of these planes were ordered, five of which are for one person and two of them are for two. One of the single-seat aircraft was used only for roulette training on the ground. While the last plane was transported to Istanbul by train, it was seized by the Serbs.
Deperdussin Airplanes
Single (Deperdussin) and two-seat (Deperdussin D) models of the aircraft, made by the French Deperdussin company in 1912, are the second fighter aircraft of our Air Force. On March 12, 1912, upon the pressure of the Minister of War, his delegation was accepted by the Deputy, but due to the lack of allocation, the issue was taken to the Muavenet-i Milliye Cemiyeti by Mahmut Şevket Pasha. Pasha added 30 gold coins to the coins given by the society. Egyptian Princes Celaleddin and Sultan Reşat also participated in the campaign, and three planes, two for one and one for two, were bought from France with the money collected. One of the two-seat aircraft was named "Ottoman" and the other "Prince Celaleddin".
Although one person was taken as a training aircraft and a two-person reconnaissance aircraft, both were used for training purposes. The plane named "Prince Celaleddin" crashed in the vicinity of Jaffa on March 14, 1914, while on the journey from Istanbul to Cairo under the command of Nuri Bey, and its pilot was also martyred. The Deperdussins were decommissioned in 1914.
