Turkish Airlines, the flag carrier of our country, celebrated its 90th anniversary by publishing an emotional video about the point it has reached since its first flight. THY’s first aircraft in the video TC-BIRD The tail appeared on the registered Curtiss Kingbird type aircraft. So what are the features of this legendary plane of THY? Let’s take a closer look at our first aircraft.
Characteristics of the first aircraft Curtiss Kingbird
It was produced by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, which was founded in 1929 and was the largest American-based aircraft manufacturer until the end of the second world war. Curtiss Kingbird D-2It is one of the rare aircraft in Turkish Airlines’ first modest fleet with a capacity of 5 aircraft and 23 passengers.
Kingbird has a pair of “Whirlwind J-6-9” engines located just to the right and left of its nose, each producing 300 horsepower. The aircraft, which can reach a maximum speed of 180 km/h, can reach an altitude of 16,000 ft (4,900 m). The aircraft had a wingspan of 16.61 meters and a length of 10.49 meters and could carry seven passengers and a crew.
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One of the members of THY’s first fleet of 5 aircraft with the TC-KUŞ tail registration, the “Curtiss Kingbird D-2” was a rare aircraft produced in the USA in the early 1930s. There are also different variations used for various purposes, such as the air ambulance, which we can call the brothers of the aircraft.
Turkey’s wings 90 years of Turkish Airlines!
Turkish Airlines took to the skies in 1933 with a fleet of 5 planes and less than 30 employees under the name of “State Airlines”. During this period, “Fesa Evrensev”, one of Turkey’s first aviators, served as the general manager of the company.
THY made the first international flight of our country from Istanbul to Athens in 1947. In parallel with the opening of Yeşilköy Airport, which would later become Atatürk Airport, in the following periods, THY continued to grow and reached the present day, covering 90 years from its establishment.
THY, which has become a world brand today; With more than 80 thousand employees and more than 400 aircraft in its fleet, it has the distinction of being the airline that flies to the most destinations in the world. Moreover, we know that the company has bigger goals, such as to more than double the number of aircraft in the fleet, in line with what Turkish Airlines officials have recently announced.
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