1st Lt. Hilal Aydın
Türkiye’s Naval Forces have graduated their first female maritime patrol aircraft pilot after Navy 1st Lt. Hilal Aydın successfully completed her flight training.
Aydın, who serves at the Naval Air Command in Kartepe, northwestern province of Kocaeli, made history by becoming the first woman to qualify as a maritime patrol aircraft pilot in the Turkish Naval Forces.
Aydın said she had grown up surrounded by military life because her father served as a noncommissioned officer in the Turkish Armed Forces, adding that she had dreamed of becoming a soldier from an early age. She applied for pilot training in 2022.
After successfully completing a rigorous selection process and flight training, Aydın graduated as the Turkish Naval Forces’ first female aircraft pilot.
Now serving under the Naval Air Command in Kartepe, Aydın spoke about her journey from pursuing a military career to becoming a pilot, while also offering advice to young people seeking to pursue similar careers.
Recalling that she had always wanted to become a soldier since childhood, Aydın said that after graduating, she served aboard the TCG Gemlik as an operations and electronic warfare assistant officer and communications officer.
Aydın expressed she takes great pride in pursuing the same profession with Sabiha Gökçen, the first Turkish female fighter pilot.
“I believe she is one of the finest role models for every young woman who aspires to become a pilot and dreams of pursuing this career. Had I not become a pilot, I would have wanted to continue serving aboard our ships, just as I did when I first embarked on my military career,” she noted.
