Yıldız Eruçman – Turkey’s First Female Parachutist
Aviation history is full of many successful and pioneering people. These people achieved many firsts thanks to their courage and passion. In this way, they became a guide with the people who came after them. In this article, let’s examine a woman who left her mark on Turkish aviation history. Who is Yıldız Uçman, the first female aviator in Turkey to jump with a parachute? Let’s see together.
(there are sources that write that her surname was Uçman)
Yıldız Uçman was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. Yıldız’s maiden surname was “Kayalar”. So when she comes to life, she bears the name Yıldız Kayalar.
Yıldız’s family migrated from Thessaloniki to Istanbul and from there to the Cumaovası district of İzmir during the Turkey-Greece population exchange.
Yıldız grows up with his family in Cumaovası, Izmir. Later, Yıldız applied to Türkkuşu’s civil aviation school in Ergazi, Ankara. She starts parachute training by embracing the parachuting suggestion of the Russian aviation teachers at the school. Later, she joins the Eskişehir İnönü parachute camp and then the Etimesgut glider camp, respectively. In Vecihi Hürkuş’s memoirs, he tells that Yıldız Eruçman’s professional performance was very impressive and that he had high hopes for her.
Yıldız Eruçman is among the four female pilots trained by Sabiha Gökçen. Others are female pilots Edibe Subaşı, Nezihe Viranyalı and Sahavet Karapas.
source: yenidenergenekon.com
Turkey’s first female parachutist
Ms. Yıldız succeeds in the event that will put her name in history in 1935. She became Turkey’s first female parachutist with her jump from a Russian R-5 plane on October 4, 1935. Yıldız Eruçman later retired from the Turkish Aeronautical Association as a minaret worker. In those days, one of the most dangerous professions was minaret work. Since the first female pilots chose a dangerous profession as women at that time, their insurance was made as minaret workers. And this was a very prestigious retirement at that time.
Historical and Operational Significance
Yıldız Eruçman’s first parachute jump in 1935 represents more than a symbolic milestone—it reflects a critical step in the operational evolution of aviation. During this period, parachuting was not a routine or fully standardized activity but a developing discipline closely tied to military readiness, emergency procedures, and pilot survival systems. Successfully executing a parachute jump required not only technical training but also a high level of situational awareness, discipline, and trust in emerging aviation technologies.
From an operational perspective, her achievement demonstrated that parachuting could be reliably integrated into aviation practices, supporting the broader development of safety procedures and airborne operations. Equally important, Eruçman’s role challenged the prevailing limitations placed on women in aviation, proving that they could actively participate in high-risk, performance-critical environments. This contributed to a gradual shift in how human resources were perceived in aviation—moving from exclusion to capability-based inclusion.
In this sense, her jump was not only a personal or national achievement but also part of the early foundation of modern aviation operations, where safety systems, training standards, and inclusivity continue to evolve together.
Note: There are conflicting information about the date of birth of Ms. Yıldız in sources. Besides, there are sources that write that her surname was Eruçman. Information shared by Aviation History Researcher Mustafa Kılıç was used primarily. If you have more detailed information about Ms. Yıldız, we hope that you will contact us.
