Pelin Öztürk, a Turkish Female Aerobatics Pilot
Aviation certainly has a very important practical application in our lives, which is the transport of passengers as well as cargo. But for many flying is not just a means to an end but it is also a passion. Considering how exciting flying can be, this shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone. An amazing way many people experience flying is with aerobatics, which is based on stunts performed with an aircraft. In one of the recent blog post, we have talked about Murat Öztürk, who was a very skilled aerobatic pilot and cameraman. Now we are going to talk about his daughter Pelin Öztürk, who is an aviator as well, just like her father and grandfather. Let’s start discussing her life, education and career of this aerobatic pilot.
Life, Education and Career of Pelin Öztürk
Pelin Öztürk was born in 1978. Since her father, Murat Öztürk, and her grandfather were both aviators, she had some interest in flight. Also, due to her father’s profession, she had the chance to spend time around aircraft a lot. However, instead of going straight into aviation, she wanted to focus on a career in commerce. So she went on to major in Chinese Language and Literature during her university years. After a conversation with her father, she decided to get her PPL license. This way, Öztürk could be able to help her father with their flight school and aircraft maintenance center.
In 2006, when she was 28 years old, Pelin Öztürk acquired her private pilot license. Four years after this, she managed to get her commercial pilot license as well. Following this, she worked as a pilot for some time and after completing another round of training, she began working as a flight instructor at Top Air, her father’s private flight school, in 2013. But around this time, her father died in a aircraft crash during an aerobatics show. While this was such an unfortunate event for the family, Pelin Öztürk decided to take over her father’s work and keep his memory and principles alive by keeping the flight school and maintanence center working.
Öztürk’s Thoughts on Her Legendary Aerobatic Pilot Father’s Work
Pelin Öztürk is a passionate aviator herself, and she gets a lot of her inspiration from her father. According to her, her father wasn’t after wealth or riches, but he was focused on his work because of his passion for aviation. To her, one of the most wonderful things that she learned from her father was to “think big”. In order to be able to help her father, she received her PPL and we can say that she, too, was quite passionate about aviation and her father’s work as well.
A Never Ending Passion for Aviation
For years Pelin Öztürk took lots of training and became a quite experienced aviator. After her father’s death in 2013, she took over his flight school and aircraft maintenance center. She said that she will keep these businesses working and also carry out some projects as well.
Resources
Milliyet Editor (20 May 2013), Efsane pilotun kızı: Ben devam ettireceğim, Milliyet, Retrieved 28 June 2022
< https://www.milliyet.com.tr/gundem/efsane-pilotun-kizi-ben-devam-ettirecegim-1711430 >
İnci Dondaş (16 June 2013), Onun mirasını ben uçuracağım, Star, Retrieved 28 June 2022
< https://www.star.com.tr/pazar/onun-mirasini-ben-ucuracagim-haber-762895/ >
AirportHT (27 December 2013), Habertürk / Airport: Konuğumuz Merhum Gazeteci ve Pilot Murat Öztürk’ün Kızı Pelin Öztürk, YouTube, Retrieved 28 June 2022
