The Turkish Air Forces have two different aviation museums. One of them settled in Yeşilyurt / İstanbul and the other one locates in Etimesgut/Ankara.
İstanbul Aviation Museum
| At the end of World War I, the oldest of 1912, with the addition of several nationally owned aircrafts and one, two, and three pieces of all types of aircraft built by the Germans during the First World War in the hangars, led to the decision to establish an air museum in the Air Force Inspectorate. It has begun to confiscate the enemy seized aircrafts for the same purpose. However, these planes collected for the museum were thought to be taken to Kartal Maltepe so that they would not be damaged in the War of Independence, but a part of the planes were damaged to a great extent during transportation. With these damages, airplane crashes in the War of Independence delayed the idea of building an air museum. |  |
In 1960, with the directive of Chief of Air Force Gen. Irfan Tansel the idea of establishing air museum in Türkiye on came to the agenda published in 1963. For this purpose an order of protection and one from each Air Force aircraft used in other unions have been asked. As a result of the work carried out in 1966 Air Museum Organization was formed and on May 15, 1971 Türkiye's first air museum was opened in Izmir Cumaovası within the Civil Airport.
Despite its great interest in its opening, search for a new residential area for the Air Museum started, because it did not attract many visitors due to distance from the city center and transportation difficulties. Since the reconstruction of the Cumaovası apron, the development of the vicinity for training flights, and the use of civil air traffic in this area have brought new problems in terms of settlement of the Air Museum.
The Air Museum continued to operate in İzmir-Cumaovası until 1978. As a result of the examination; considering the location, the potential of visitors, the facilities of development and residence, the place where the first air union was established, it was determined that the most suitable settlement area for the Air Museum was the field at the end of the airport which belong the Air Force Academy.
Due to the reasons explained above, the construction of the new Air Museum building started in 1977 and was completed in 1983. Built on a total area of 65,000 square meters, covering 2,365 m² closed and 12,000 m² open spaces, the interior decoration and decoration of the museum was realized by the technical staff and experts of Mimar Sinan University and the Istanbul Provincial Culture, Display and Monuments Directorate, within the framework of modern museum standards of the day. The Air Museum was opened on Oct 16, 1985 by Chief of Air Staff General Halil SÖZER.
Ankara Aviation Museum
In 1997, attempts to found the second Aviation museum of Türkiye were initiated by the Air Logistics Command, in line with the directives of the 21st Air Force Commander, Retired General Ahmet Çörekçi, with a view to plant the love for aviation to larger masses, to keep the history of the Turkish Air Force vivid and to make it loved by young generations. After the building construction was completed, its environmental arrangement was made by the Air Logistics Command, a major part of the aircrafts was moved, and following the archive works and procurement of objects, it was prepared for inauguration in 1998. On 18 September 1998, with the attendance of Atatürk’s adopted daughter and the first female Turkish pilot Sabiha Gökçen, the 20th Air Force Command Retired General Halis Burhan, the 21st Air Force Command Retired General Ahmet Çörekçi and then National Security Council General Ergin Celasin, the museum was inaugurated by the 22nd Air Force Command Retired General İlhan Kılıç and brought into public service.
| Ankara Aviation Museum is composed of two sections; an outdoor area of 62.321 m2 and an indoor area of 2000 m2. In the outdoor sightseeing area, one MIG-19 from the Bulgarian Air Force, one MIG-17 from the Pakistan Air Force, and the Bleriot Type aircraft named “Fethi Bey”, which was manufactured in 2001 at the Kayseri Air Supply Maintenance Centre Command for the documentary movie called ‘Altın Kanatlar (Golden Wings)’ prepared by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation), are exhibited in addition to the aircrafts that protected and has still been protecting the Turkish Air space for long years, aircrafts that served for transportation and training purposes, and a helicopter. |
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Ankara Hava Müzesinin Açılışı
The indoor area consists of the ‘Turkish and World Aviation History Hall’ where scenery models of first flight trials of Lagari Hasan Çelebi and Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi, models of the aircrafts we have been using since the establishment of the Turkish Air Force in 1911 and various pictures and documents are present, the ‘Hall of Busts and Flags’ where ½ scaled models of Uğur and Pezetel aircrafts, our first domestic manufactured aircrafts, Firsts in the history of Turkish Aviation and busts of our commanders who served as Air Force Commander take place, the ‘Hall of Uniforms’ where aviation uniforms, flags and badges that have been used since the Ottoman times until today are exhibited and the ‘Hall of Memories’ where a name list of our Beloved Martyrs of Air is available and where memorial items belonging to our commanders are exhibited.
With the works conducted by the Air Logistics Command in 1999, a corner for Sabiha Gökçen, the First Female Flyer (Pilot) of the Republic Period, was established and many valuable items and photographs were donated to this corner by Ms. Sabiha Gökçen herself. In addition, a corner for ‘Female Aviators’ with regard to first female aviators was established. Again during the year 1999, the building named ‘Blue World’, where visitors can see pilot cabinets closer and sit therein and where T-33 ad F-5 cockpits are available, was brought into service by the Air Logistics Command.
During 2000, the corner of ‘World Aircrafts in Civil Aviation’, where a board of various aircraft models and 72 photographs is present, and a board on which lists of names and registrations of our Pilot NCO’s who served between 1915 and 1949, as well as many photographs take place were formed.
In our Hall of Memories, some items belonging to our first pilot to fall martyr during Cyprus Peace Operation, Captain Cengiz Topel, and ‘Badge No.1’ belonging to the first pilot of the Turkish Air Force, Fesa Evrensey, and the military cloak of Lieutenant Sait Binatli who fell martyr in 1940 are also exhibited.