Impressing us all with the shows he made on national holidays and other special days, Solotürk flatters us by showing the point Turkish aviation has reached and how Turkish pilots are successful. Let’s take a closer look at how Solotürk was founded and which aircraft are used.
‘The future is in the skies.’ Following in the footsteps of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the Turkish Air Force has successfully represented the military power of our state in the sky since the day it was founded. Our pilots, who have become perfect by going through long and difficult training, show their mastery in this subject. They also exhibit it to the whole world in solotürk shows. Since 2010, Solotürk has fascinated the audience.
The aim of the Solotürk team is to both announce the point of Turkish aviation to the world and to show the mastery of Turkish pilots to friend and foe. We all know how successful they were in this regard. It is even said that some of the aerobatic movements are unique in the world. Bride What is Solotürk, how was it established, which aircraft are used Let’s take a closer look at the frequently asked questions.
What is Soloturk?
Solotürk is the name of the team that performs aerobatics with a single plane. We watch a single plane and a single pilot at Solotürk shows, but There is a great team behind it. Generally, 2 pilots are active in the team. Soloturk operations are carried out at the 3rd Main Jet Base 132nd Fleet Command in Konya.
Although it changes from time to time, the Solotürk team consists of 11 people. To date, the team consisting of 2 pilots, 9 maintenance personnel and 2 press and public relations representatives has worked so far. 7 pilots took part and 4 aircraft were used in the demonstrations.
How and when was Solotürk founded?
The idea of performing aerobatic demonstrations with a single plane was supported by the Air Force Command. It was introduced on November 25, 2009. Work started in 2010 and team selection was made. Although it was fully established in 2011, he made his first show in the army on September 10, 2010.
Dates On April 15, 2011, Solotürk appeared before the public with his first show. This date is extremely important. Because the establishment date of the Turkish Air Force is considered to be 1911. In other words, Solotürk made its first show to the Turkish nation on the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Air Force and showed the mastery of Turkish pilots to the whole world.
Which planes does Soloturk use?
There are 3 types of warplanes in our country’s inventory: F-4 Phantom, NF-5 Freedom Fighter, F-16 Fightening Falcon. Solotürk used the F-16C Block-40 between 2011 and 2016. After 2016, the F-16 block-30 model started to be used. This model is at a lower level than its predecessor, but as it is the most successful dogfighting model, some upgrades have been made by our engineers for aerobatic demonstrations.
Solotürk has used 91-0011, 90-0011, 88-0029, 88-0032 model airplanes to date. No changes were made to the aircraft used by the team. well Solotürk uses real warplanes, not demonstration planes. In the event of a war, the Solotürk aircraft are ready to be used by loading weapons. This is one of the reasons why the performances are so impressive.
Soloturk pilots from yesterday to today:
- Hv. Plt. Maj. Murat KELEŞ is one of the founding members of the team and served between 2011 and 2012.
- Hv. Plt. Maj. Fatih BATMAZ is one of the founding members of the team and served between 2011 and 2013.
- Hv. Plt. Maj. Sedat Yalın AHBAB is one of the founding members of the team and served between 2011 and 2014.
- Hv. Plt. Lieutenant Yusuf KURT served between 2012 and 2015.
- Hv. Plt. Lieutenant Erhan GÜNAR served between 2016 and 2020.
- Hv. Plt. Lieutenant Serdar DOĞAN continues his duty that he started in 2016.
- Hv. Plt. Maj. Emre MERT continues his duty that he started in 2020.
What does the Solotürk logo and aircraft design tell?
On the basis of Murat Dorkip’s Solotürk logo and aircraft designs The nobility of the Turkish nation lies. The sharp black lines represent the quick and correct decisions of our army, the golden eagle represents freedom and independence, the black eagle represents the strength of our army, the silver star represents the light of victory, and the crescent and star represent the Turkish nation.
We proudly watch their performances in the sky on national holidays and special days. What is Solotürk, how and when was it founded? We answered frequently asked questions and talked about the details you need to know about the team. You can share your thoughts about Solotürk and its shows in the comments.