Nezihe Viranyali
Encyclopedia
Nezihe Viranyalı was one of the first Turkish
female aviator
s. She was trained by Sabiha Gökçen
, Turkey's first female pilot, world's first female combat pilot.
, Bulgaria
of Turkish descent
, she immigrated to Turkey as she was impressed by Sabiha Gökçen's flight tour around the Balkan countries and the air show
at Sofia
in 1938. At the age of sixteen, she enrolled at the flight school Türkkuşu (literally Turkishbird) of the Turkish Aeronautical Association
, where Sabiha Gökçen was a trainer. Nezihe Viranyalı learned skydiving first, and later obtained her pilot license for gliders
and airplanes. She was the last of the four female aviators trained by Sabiha Gökçen, the others being Edibe Subaşı, Yıldız Uçman, and Sahavet Karapas. She herself trained hundreds of aviators at the Türkkuşu Flight School.
In 1955, she took part as a skydiver at the international air shows held in the Netherlands
and Germany
. Invited by the American pilot Jacqueline Cochran
, she went to the United States
to attend a course on civil aviation
at the University of Tennessee
on a scholarship. In 1956, Nezihe Viranyalı displayed her flying skills at an air show in Baghdad
, Iraq
.
In her career, she parachuted more than 100 times, had more than 180 hours of flight time on gliders and more than 2,800 hours on airplanes. Nezihe Viranyalı retired from her position as an instructor from the Türkkuşu Flight School.
She is quoted as saying
Stuart Kline's exhaustive work Türk Havacılık Kronolojisi / A Chronicle of Turkish Aviation mentions her with pictures.
to own an automobile. She enjoyed ice skating
and playing the accordion
. Besides Bulgarian
and Russian
, she was also fluent in English
and German
.
Never married, she spent her last years in a retirement home at Maltepe
, Istanbul. One of her legs was amputated because of gangrene
following surgery on a fractured foot and shoulder bone.
Nezihe Viranyalı died of colon cancer
at a hospital in Göztepe, Istanbul
. She was buried at the Karacaahmet Cemetery
.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
female aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
s. She was trained by Sabiha Gökçen
Sabiha Gökçen
Sabiha Gökçen was a Turkish aviatrix. First Turkish female combat pilot, aged 23. She was one of the eight adopted children of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.- Early life :...
, Turkey's first female pilot, world's first female combat pilot.
Biography
Born in VidinVidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
of Turkish descent
Turks in Bulgaria
The Turks in Bulgaria number 588,318 people and constitute 8.8% of those who declared their ethnic group and 8.0% of the total population according to the 2011 Bulgarian census. 605,802 persons or 9.1% of the population pointed Turkish language as their mother tongue. They are also the largest...
, she immigrated to Turkey as she was impressed by Sabiha Gökçen's flight tour around the Balkan countries and the air show
Air show
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
at Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
in 1938. At the age of sixteen, she enrolled at the flight school Türkkuşu (literally Turkishbird) of the Turkish Aeronautical Association
Turkish Aeronautical Association
Turkish Aeronautical Association is a non-profit organization with an aim of increasing public awareness and participation in aviation related activities and the national body governing air sports in Turkey...
, where Sabiha Gökçen was a trainer. Nezihe Viranyalı learned skydiving first, and later obtained her pilot license for gliders
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
and airplanes. She was the last of the four female aviators trained by Sabiha Gökçen, the others being Edibe Subaşı, Yıldız Uçman, and Sahavet Karapas. She herself trained hundreds of aviators at the Türkkuşu Flight School.
In 1955, she took part as a skydiver at the international air shows held in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Invited by the American pilot Jacqueline Cochran
Jacqueline Cochran
Jacqueline Cochran was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation...
, she went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to attend a course on civil aviation
Civil aviation
Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
on a scholarship. In 1956, Nezihe Viranyalı displayed her flying skills at an air show in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
In her career, she parachuted more than 100 times, had more than 180 hours of flight time on gliders and more than 2,800 hours on airplanes. Nezihe Viranyalı retired from her position as an instructor from the Türkkuşu Flight School.
She is quoted as saying
"If you’ve made a good landing, it’s impossible to recapture that joy again on another day. The emotions you experience as you bring your aircraft to the parking place and turn off the engine are nothing less than what great conquerors feel when they storm the gates of a fortress. And you have the right to feel that way. You too are a conqueror, who has just conquered the skies..."
Stuart Kline's exhaustive work Türk Havacılık Kronolojisi / A Chronicle of Turkish Aviation mentions her with pictures.
Private life
In the 1940s, she was one of the few women in AnkaraAnkara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
to own an automobile. She enjoyed ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
and playing the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. Besides Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, she was also fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Never married, she spent her last years in a retirement home at Maltepe
Maltepe
Maltepe is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey between Kadıköy and Kartal on the Marmara sea. Its neighbours are Kadıköy to the west and Kartal to the east. The mayor of Maltepe is Mustafa Zengin . Maltepe used to border Ümraniye from the northwest between 1992 and 2004...
, Istanbul. One of her legs was amputated because of gangrene
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
following surgery on a fractured foot and shoulder bone.
Nezihe Viranyalı died of colon cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
at a hospital in Göztepe, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. She was buried at the Karacaahmet Cemetery
Karacaahmet Cemetery
The Karacaahmet Cemetery , located in Üsküdar district, is the oldest in Istanbul and, at , the largest burial ground in Turkey.The cemetery was named after a warrior companion of Orhan I, the second Ottoman sultan and is believed to have been founded in the mid-14th century...
.