Yusuf Kenan Bey

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Yusuf Kenan Bey in uniform

Yusuf Kenan Bey (died c. 1915, Gallipoli) was an Ottoman senior lieutenant and one of the first Turkish pilots. In 1911, he and Fesa Evrensev were sent to a flight school in France. He completed his training in March 1912, one month after Evrensev, and became an instructor at the first Ottoman flight school in April, but quit flying by the end of the year. Yusuf Kenan died during the Gallipoli campaign.

Military career[edit]

In February 1911, while Yusuf Kenan was a senior lieutenant, the Ottoman Army announced that it would send two people to a European flight school.[1] The two pilots would be decided by a series of exams, with participants being eliminated after each one.[2] In the final exam, Yusuf Kenan got the second highest score behind Fesa Evrensev. The two went through a medical check and were cleared to be sent abroad. The army initially wanted to send them to Germany, but due to France having more advanced technology at the time and lower costs, they were sent to the flight school of Blériot Aéronautique on 9 July.[1] A military attaché in France reported that Yusuf Kenan was not brave enough.[3] During training, he had several accidents, which caused the expenses to be higher than expected. Following this, the Ottoman Army decided to create its own flight school.[4] He finished his training on 10 March 1912, a month after Evrensev.[5]

They returned to Istanbul to take delivery of two aircraft on 20 April to be used in the flight school and became the first instructors at the school.[6] However, Yusuf Kenan was no longer a part of the school by the start of the Balkan Wars in October[7] nor was he one of the 12 pilots at the air force.[8] He reportedly quit aviation completely before December.[9] According to Fesa Evrensev, after he stopped flying, Yusuf Kenan went to the front lines and was killed during the Gallipoli campaign.[2]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kurt & Korkmaz 2018, pp. 219–220.
  2. ^ a b Dalkılınç 2021, p. 46.
  3. ^ Kurter 2006, p. 81.
  4. ^ Aydın 2009, p. 124.
  5. ^ Kurt & Korkmaz 2018, pp. 223–225.
  6. ^ Kurt & Korkmaz 2018, pp. 233–235.
  7. ^ Yalçın 2022, p. 75.
  8. ^ Aydın 2009, p. 126.
  9. ^ Yalçın 2022, p. 85.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Aydın, Atilla (2009). "The Ottoman Air Force Flight From Istanbul to Cairo in 1914". Oriens. 37 (1). Brill: 123–154. doi:10.1163/007865209X12555048403493. eISSN 1877-8372. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  • Dalkılınç, Deniz; et al. (2021). "Mehmet Fesa Evrensev: İlk Pilotumuz". Kanatlarımdaki Cesaret: Havacılık Tarihinden Notlar (PDF) (in Turkish). Küçükçekmece Municipality. pp. 44–49. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  • Kurt, Deniz; Korkmaz, Erdal (2018). "Yeni Arşiv Belgeleri Işığında Türk Askerî Havacılığının Doğuşu (1911-1912)". The Journal of Defense Sciences (in Turkish). 17 (2). National Defense University: 207–251. doi:10.17134/khosbd.477296. ISSN 1303-6831. Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  • Kurter, Ajun [in Turkish] (2006). Türk Hava Kuvvetleri tarihi: 1910–1914 (in Turkish). Vol. 1. Turkish Air Force.
  • Yalçın, Osman (2022). "Balkan Savaşlarında Türk Hava Harekatı". Journal of Academic History and Studies (in Turkish). 5 (6): 65–105. doi:10.56448/ataddergi.1085217. eISSN 2687-5624. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
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