First Turkish female pilot Bedriye Tahir Gokmen
The aviation history of every country is full of many successful women. These women may have acted contrary to the habits and general judgments of the time and broke some taboos. These women also set an example for generations to come. In this article, we will talk about Bedriye Tahir Gokmen, the first female pilot of the Republic of Turkey.
At this point, you may think of Sabiha Gokcen, let’s prevent possible confusion by making a reminder before starting the article. Sabiha Gokcen was the first female fighter pilot in the world. Bedriye Tahir Gokmen is the first female pilot of the Republic of Turkey.
Life of Bedriye Tahir Gokmen
She was the first Turkish female pilot. She is known as “Gokmen Bacı”. In 1932, she started her aviation training at the Vecihi Flight School. While she was a civil servant, she continued her flight training. She received badge in 1933. Abdurrahman Turkkusu nicknamed him Gokmen. Bedriye Tahir, known as “Gokmen Bacı”, took the surname “Gokmen” when the Surname Law was enacted in Turkey at 1934.
Bedriye Tahir got a lot of reaction because of her aviation work, she faced obstacles. She was suspended from her salary for being involved in aviation, and she was eventually fired from her job.
In 1934, Vecihi School requested that students pass an examination by the Undersecretariat of Air Force in order to approve the badges. However, when the exam committee arrived, the exam could not be held because the only active plane of the school had crashed. When the committee did not agree to come again, the school was closed and Gokmen Bacı’s pilotage was not approved. The later life of her, who was fired at that time, is unknown. However, she took her place in aviation history as the first Turkish Female Pilot.
