The Turkish Navy has graduated its first female pilot after Navy Lieutenant Hilal Aydın successfully completed her flight training. Aydın, who is stationed at the Naval Aviation Command in Kartepe, in the north-western province of Kocaeli, has thus made history by becoming the first woman to qualify as a maritime patrol aircraft pilot in the Turkish Naval Forces.
Aydın will fly an aircraft equipped with reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities. These maritime patrol aircraft are designed to monitor and ensure security over vast areas of the sea from the air, and can survey regions spanning many square kilometres, acting as the eyes of the Turkish Navy from the sky to try to locate potential enemy targets, including submarines.
A female pilot fulfilling a childhood dream
The 28-year-old lieutenant, who is fulfilling a childhood dream, began her new mission sporting the Turkish flag, the Navy insignia and her flight suit bearing her pilot’s name. As she explained in comments reported by the news channel NTV, her interest in a military career arose during her childhood and her father influenced her decision, as he had served as a specialist sergeant in the Turkish Armed Forces.
“Whilst taking preparatory English courses to study geological engineering at the Middle East Technical University, I saw the enrolment posters for the National Defence University and applied to join the Naval Academy,” explained Aydın.
The pilot noted that the phrase “Those who rule the two blues”, which she saw in the Naval Aviation Command’s promotional material, marked a turning point and signalled the start of her career as a maritime patrol pilot.
The first female fighter pilot, Sabiha Gökçen, as a role model
Aydın says she has always looked up to Sabiha Gökçen, the adopted daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the first female fighter pilot in history, and admitted to feeling proud to have reached this position.
“I am proud and happy to be a female pilot trained by the Republic of Turkey, which Atatürk entrusted to us, the young people of Türkiye,” she stated. Finally, the now first female pilot in the Turkish Navy advised young people who wish to pursue a military career not to give up on their dreams and to work hard to achieve their goals.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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