SOLOTURK will break the record in Istanbul! It will stay in the air for 27 minutes on August 30
The TSK SOLOTÜRK demonstration flight team will once again be stunning in Istanbul. Before the special show for Victory Day 30 August, CNN TÜRK Chief Special News Officer Fulya Öztürk and SOLOTÜRK’s first pilot, Major Murat Bakıcı met at Atatürk Airport. The caretaker answered Öztürk’s questions.
These are SOLOTÜRK, the F16 demonstration team of the Turkish Armed Forces, who are among the best pilots in the world… It has been stunning in Turkey and the world since 2010. This time they will be in the skies of Istanbul and put on an exquisite show on August 30 Victory Day.
SOLOTURK pilots change every 4 years. Fulya Öztürk spoke to SOLOTÜRK’s first pilot, Murat Bakıcı. This is what Major Bakıcı told Öztürk:
WE WILL SHARE THE BLESSING WITH OUR PEOPLE
We are proud to be here and celebrate this holiday. We will remember a beautiful show in Yenikapı Square at 18:00. First of all, we remember Atatürk and his comrades with gratitude. We will share this enthusiasm with our people.
There will also be a special program on the ground. The Istanbul Governorate organizes it. Alper Şen will be on the microphone. I will also be in the air. Our show will last 27 minutes, and is unique in the world. Shows are usually 12-13 minutes long. This is the power of the Turkish nation.
The responsibility for this is very high. We represent the nation of Turkey. The spirituality of this is on our shoulders. We also represent the Turkish Armed Forces around the world. We are also fighter pilots. We are involved in all operations. That’s why our shows are so strict. It reveals our warrior spirit. We are a single plane performer. We present this performance as the strength of the Turkish nation.
I graduated from the military academy in 2005. By completing the training, I became an F16 pilot. We started this business with love. I have over 4000 flight hours with an F16. I have been flying in the sky for 18 years and flying our star and crescent flag. This has increased my pride to the highest level.
THEY ARE SELECTED THROUGH A SCREENING PROCESS
You should not cause any accidents or lack of discipline in your flying life. In aviation, the rules are written in blood. To become a Solotürk pilot, you need to have a certain number of flight hours. Those who meet certain criteria apply and are selected by our air force commander. We represent our flag across the world by creating spirit.
We get a very good response from shows abroad. It makes us proud to receive these responses from pilots in the industry. Some movements are named after us. No team in the world does this.
Aviation is a very big world. We welcome our young friends to join us. The future is in the air.
Chain of flight rules. We go into the briefing 2 hours ago. We evaluate the threats We do not take things harshly. We prefer foods rich in protein. We don’t fly straight at all. We pay attention to what we eat so that our physiology is not affected. We do not buy fizzy drinks. We drink it when we land, sweating profusely.
PROGRAM IN YENİKAPI
We are waiting for our people at 18:00. There will be a signing and talk at our aviation museum on 1 September. There we will have conversations about the development of aviation from the earliest times to the present day. We will be there at 16.00.