Vecihi Hürkuş, one of the pioneers of Turkish aviation, was a soldier, educator, entrepreneur, and businessman. He received flight training in the army where he served as a volunteer, and his interest in aviation evolved from piloting to teaching, from aircraft production to airline operations, securing his name in the annals of Turkish aviation history.

Vecihi Hürkuş in front of a Gotha aircraft used during the War of Independence, 1919.

Childhood and Education

Vecihi Hürkuş was born on 18 January 1896 in Istanbul. His father, Ali Feham Lord, was a district inspector from an Istanbul family, and his mother was Zeliha Niyir Hanım from Vidin. After losing his father at the age of three, he moved with his mother and siblings to Harbiye to live with his uncle, Şekür Bey, an fencing and drawing teacher. Later, they settled in Üsküdar. He completed his primary education in Bebek and his secondary education at Füyuzati Osmaniye Rüştiyesi in Üsküdar. After attending Paşakapısı İdadisi for high school, he transferred to Tophane Art School due to his interest in art and graduated from there.

In 1912, Vecihi Hürkuş volunteered to join the Balkan Wars alongside his brother-in-law, Staff Lieutenant Colonel Kemal Bey, and was among the troops entering Edirne after its recapture. After the Balkan Wars, he was assigned by the Istanbul Garrison Command to the Serviburun Prisoner Camp in Beykoz.

The Beginning of His Aviation Story

Driven by his passion for aviation, he aspired to become a pilot, but due to his age, he received training as a mechanic and graduated from the Aircraft Mechanic School as a Junior Officer (Gedikli/Astsubay). During the First World War, he was sent to the Baghdad Front as a mechanic.

Vecihi Hürkuş in front of his own designed aircraft.

On 2 February 1916, Hürkuş was injured in an aircraft crash on the Baghdad Front and returned to Istanbul. He enrolled at the Tayyare Mektebi in Yeşilköy, made his first flight on 21 May 1916, and completed his aviation training by receiving his pilot diploma on 15 November of the same year. In the autumn of 1917, he was assigned to the 7th Aircraft Squadron on the Caucasus Front, becoming the first pilot to shoot down a Russian aircraft.

On 8 October 1917, after shooting down an aircraft, he set it on fire to prevent it from falling into enemy hands and was captured, subsequently sent to Nargin Island in the Caspian Sea. With the help of Azerbaijani Turks, Vecihi Hürkuş swam off the island and, accompanied by Lieutenant Salih Bey, set out for Turkey via Iran. After a grueling 2.5-month journey under harsh conditions, he reached Mosul via Süleymaniye.

He managed to return to Istanbul as the war was nearing its end and was assigned to the Istanbul Air Defense Division. When Istanbul was occupied, he crossed to Mudanya by ship from Harem and from there, via Bursa, Eskişehir, reached Konya to join the War of Independence. He carried out the first and last flights of the War of Independence and, as the first aviator to land at the İzmir–Seydiköy Airfield, received two commendations from the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye and the Red-Striped Independence Medal.

After the war, he served in aircraft units in İzmir and engaged in teaching as well as technical work. He was assigned to retrieve a civilian aircraft that had mistakenly landed in Edirne; in return for his service, he named the aircraft “Vecihi.” This event marked the first step in Vecihi Hürkuş’s long series of aircraft projects, which he had been developing since 1919.

Vecihi K-VI, the first Turkish aircraft designed and built by Vecihi Hürkuş in 1924.

Vecihi Hürkuş with the Vecihi K-VI aircraft and his team, 1924.

Aircraft Production: Challenges and Obstacles

In 1924, he constructed Türkiye’s first domestic aircraft, the Vecihi K-VI, using engines captured as war booty from the Greeks. When he applied for flight permission for the aircraft, a technical commission was formed to issue an airworthiness certificate; however, the process was delayed because the commission lacked personnel capable of flying and controlling the aircraft. Upon realizing the commission would not grant approval, Vecihi Hürkuş took off without any authorization on 28 January 1925. However, being punished for flying without permission, he resigned from the Turkish Air Force.

Vecihi Hürkuş joined the Turkish Aircraft Society (T.Ta.C.) in Ankara and worked under its Technical Section. T.Ta.C. aimed to establish a civilian aviation school funded by public donations. Hürkuş participated in donation campaigns to promote aviation enthusiasm. In a campaign where the donor of 10,000 TL would have their name inscribed on the aircraft, the first aircraft received the name “Ceyhan” after a donation from Ceyhan district. During later phases of the campaign, Vecihi Hürkuş traveled on donation tours flying the Ceyhan aircraft.

He traveled abroad with the Turkish Aviation Association to study aviation in Europe, visiting Breguet, Potez, and Hanriot factories in France, and Junkers and Rohrbach factories in Germany, and conducted test flights.

On 19 October 1925, he resigned from the Turkish Aviation Association and joined the efforts to establish the Ministry of National Defense’s Tayyare ve Motor Türk Anonymous Company (TOMTAŞ) in Kayseri, traveling to Germany to work on the production of the Junkers A.35 aircraft. On 1 August 1926, he successfully completed a demonstration combat flight with the French two-seat fighter aircraft Nieuport Delage.

Vecihi Hürkuş and the Vecihi K-VI during its public unveiling in 1925 with the public and officials.

Vecihi Hürkuş operated flights between Ankara and Kayseri in 1927 using two Junkers passenger aircraft under TOMTAŞ: a three-engine 14-seat Junkers G.24 and a single-engine six-seat Junkers F.13. These flights marked the first civilian aviation services in Türkiye.

In 1930, he built the Vecihi XIV aircraft in his own workshop in Kadıköy and made its first flight on 27 September 1930 at Kadıköy Fikirtepe. The Vecihi XIV, a two-seat, single-engine, all-metal trainer aircraft, also performed a flight in Ankara, where it was inspected and commended by Prime Minister İsmet İnönü and several commanders.

An application submitted to the Ministry of Economy for an airworthiness certificate on 14 October 1930 was rejected with the statement: “No qualified person could be found to determine the technical specifications of the aircraft.” Vecihi Hürkuş was granted permission to send the aircraft abroad to obtain the required certification. The aircraft was disassembled in Ankara and shipped by rail to Prague. After the technical reports were translated into Czech and subjected to technical inspections, the Vecihi XIV successfully passed all tests and completed its flight. On 23 April 1931, it received flight authorization at a ceremony attended by Czechoslovak authorities. The Vecihi XIV departed Czechoslovakia on 25 April 1931 and arrived in Türkiye on 5 May 1931.

A tour was planned by the Turkish Aviation Association featuring Vecihi Hürkuş’s aircraft. The tour, which began in Ankara, concluded in Yeşilköy after stops in Aksaray, Konya, Manavgat, Antalya, Fethiye, Muğla, Aydın, Denizli, Uşak, Eskişehir, Adapazarı, and İzmit. Due to unknown reasons, his assistant and mechanic Hamit Bey was dismissed and flight compensation was withheld, leading to the Vecihi XIV being grounded. Vecihi Hürkuş left the Turkish Aviation Association once again.

On 21 April 1932, he founded the Vecihi Civil Aircraft School, Türkiye’s first civilian aviation school. The school, which enrolled a total of 12 students in its first year, including two women, began instruction on 27 September 1932. Among its first students was Bedriye Gökmen, Türkiye’s first female pilot. No accidents occurred during the training period. To secure financial support, the school accepted advertisements from Tekel Administration and Türkiye İş Bankası, as well as donations from philanthropists.

Vecihi Hürkuş in his own designed Vecihi XIV aircraft, 1930.

Intersection with Nuri Demirağ

Nuri Demirağ, another prominent figure in Turkish aviation, visited Vecihi Hürkuş’s workshop and gave him 5,000 TL for aircraft construction. With this donation, Hürkuş built a closed-cabin light passenger aircraft named “Nuri Bey.” In the same year, Vecihi Hürkuş also constructed the single-seat Vecihi XV training aircraft. His students performed a demonstration flight over Istanbul with two Vecihi XIVs, two Vecihi XV aircraft, and the Nuri Bey Vecihi XVI. During this flight, Sait Bayav, Tevfik Artan, Muammer Öniz, Osman Kandemir, and the first female aviator Bedriye Gökmen each completed solo flights. The Vecihi Civil Aircraft School closed due to financial difficulties and the lack of official recognition of its graduates’ diplomas.

Contributions to the Turkish Aviation Association

In 1935, he served as chief instructor at Türkkuşu. He played a key role in significant achievements such as the construction of the Etimesgut hangars, the creation of the İnönü flight field at the camp, and the placement of his graduates Sait Bayav, Tevfik Artan, and Muammer Öniz for further training abroad.

In 1937, the Turkish Aviation Association sent him to Germany for engineering education; he graduated after one and a half years. However, upon returning to Türkiye, the Ministry of Public Works refused to recognize his engineering qualification, citing that “two years is insufficient for engineering.” After a prolonged struggle, he succeeded in having his diploma officially recognized by a Council of State decision.

Vecihi Hürkuş at work in his office during the 1930s.

In 1942, he published his book “Havada,” in which he recounted his experiences between 1915 and 1925 during the First World War, the War of Independence, and the early years of the Republic, as well as how he built his first aircraft.

In 1947, he founded the “Kanatlılar Birliği,” which gained great public interest among youth. The monthly magazine “Kanatlılar,” with his daughter Heart serving as director of its administrative affairs, continued publication for 12 moon.

In 1951, together with five friends, he founded a company named “Türk Kanadı” to conduct aerial agricultural spraying. He traveled with Sait Bayav and Muammer Öniz to England and purchased three Auster MK-V aircraft. After returning to Türkiye, he withdrew from the company after a disagreement among partners, relinquishing his rights.

On 29 November 1954, Vecihi Hürkuş purchased eight aircraft retired by Turkish Airlines and founded Hürkuş Airlines, Türkiye’s first private airline. He continued operations by establishing flights on routes not served by THY and transporting newspapers. However, due to various difficulties, sabotage, and financial problems, this venture also failed. The venture ended when Hürkuş Airlines’ aircraft were grounded. Despite everything, he used his remaining aircraft, TC-ERK, under the supervision of the Investigation and Search Institute, conducting search and rescue missions in difficult natural conditions in Southern East Anatolia for thorium, uranium, and phosphate.

In the final years of his life, struggling with economic hardship, Vecihi Hürkuş fell into a coma after suffering a hemorrhage while writing his memoirs. Vecihi Hürkuş passed away on 16 July 1969 at Gülhane Military Medical Academy and was buried in Ankara Cebeci Cemetery.

FIRSTS

·      He was the first Turkish pilot to fly a twin-engine aircraft, the “Caudron G-4.” (Eastern Front, 17.07.1917)

·      He achieved Türkiye’s first aerial victory by shooting down a Russian aircraft on the Caucasus Front. (Kelkit, 26.09.1917)

·      He manufactured propellers for a captured Russian Nieuport aircraft. “1 propeller = 1 aircraft.” (Istanbul, 1918)

·      During the War of Independence, he invented a gelatin-based adhesive for repairing aircraft wings.

·      He conducted the first reconnaissance flight of the War of Independence. (Kula/Alaşehir, 15.08.1920)

·      He achieved the first aerial victory of the War of Independence. (Alaşehir, 15.08.1920)

·      He was the first to enter the Seydiköy/Gaziemir airfield during the final flight of the War of Independence. (İzmir, 14.09.1922)

·      He was the only person to receive two commendations from the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye during the War of Independence, on the proposal of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and was awarded the Red-Striped Independence Medal.

·      He was the first pilot to operate a civilian passenger flight over Turkish soil. Caproni Breda – 11 passengers (Edirne, June 1923)

·      He designed and built Türkiye’s first aircraft, the “Vecihi K-VI.” (İzmir, 1924). He made its first and only flight. (İzmir, 28.01.1925).

·      He was the first and only pilot among the founding members of the Turkish Aircraft Society (THK), Türkiye’s first civilian aviation organization.

·      He was the first person in Türkiye to be awarded the title “The Father of Turkish Aviation.” (Ankara, 17.06.1925)

·      He flew the aircraft during Türkiye’s first parachute jump. The jump was performed by German parachutist Herr Hainike, with Atatürk in attendance. (Ankara, 16.09.1926)

·      He designed and built Türkiye’s first civilian aircraft, the “Vecihi XIV.” (Kadıköy/Istanbul, 16.09.1930)

·      He was the first pilot to fly a Turkish aircraft in European skies. (Prague–Istanbul, 25.04.1931)

·      He was the first pilot to conduct a nationwide tour in Türkiye using a Turkish aircraft. (02.09.1931 / 09.11.1931)

·      Belgian parachutist M. Rene, accepting Vecihi Bey’s proposal, performed the first parachute jump from Türkiye’s first civilian aircraft. Vecihi Hürkuş piloted the Vecihi XIV. (Yeşilköy, 18.01.1932)

·      He established Türkiye’s first civilian aircraft and seaplane factory: “Vecihi Fiham Kara ve Deniz Tayyare Fabrikası.” (Kadıköy/Istanbul, 1932)

·      He designed a motorized speedboat, received an invention patent for the “Vecihi SK-X,” and built it. (1930). Construction completed. (Kadıköy/Istanbul, 1933).

·      He opened Türkiye’s first civilian pilot training school: “Vecihi Civil Aircraft School.” (Kadıköy/Istanbul, 1932)

·      He built Türkiye’s first enclosed-cabin passenger/seaplane: “Vecihi XVI.” (Kadıköy/Istanbul, 1933)

·      He manufactured Türkiye’s first sports and training aircraft: “Vecihi XV.” (Kadıköy/Istanbul, 1933)

·      Together with Türkiye’s first female pilot, Bedriye Gökmen, he trained 12 pilots. (Kadıköy/Istanbul, 1933)

·      While contributing to the founding of Türkkuşu, he built Türkiye’s first gliders (US-4 and PS-2). (Ankara, 1935–36)

·      The Turkish glider endurance record of 3 hour 10 minute was set on 14 July 1936 by Russian instructor pilot Sergey Anokhin of Türkkuşu. However, on 15 July 1936, Vecihi Hürkuş broke the record by flying for 5 hours and 45 minutes at an altitude of 800 meters from Eskişehir İnönü at 14:17.

·      He founded the first private airline in Türkiye to carry passengers and cargo on domestic routes: “HHY” – Hürkuş Airlines. (Istanbul, 1954–60)

·      He was awarded by ICAO as the first Turkish pilot worldwide to have flown for over 50 years. (1916–1967)

·      Between 1916 and 1967, Vecihi Hürkuş was the first and only pilot to have flown 102 different aircraft models.

·      He was the first and only Turkish pilot to spend approximately 30,000 hours in the air.

30,000 hours = 1,250 day = 41 months 20 days = 3 years 5 months.

Vecihi K-VI, adorned with the Turkish flag, 1924.

Vecihi K-VI on the runway before test flights, 1924.

Vecihi K-VI with Vecihi Hürkuş in the cockpit, 1925.