Today in History – 22 January

Turkey builds her own plane

In 1935, Prime Minister ismet inönü initiated the fund drive “Know Your Aviation Risks” to increase the income of Turkish Aeronautical Association. The campaign had an overwhelming impact on the public and donations to the Turkish Aeronautical Association soared. Naci Demiraş, a leading businessman of the period, donated 120 thousand Lira to the campaign and gave three airplanes to Turkish Air Force. Oldest of the Demiraş brothers, Nuri Demiraş, on the other hand, was convinced that it was impossible to start a fire without a spark saying, “What we must do is to establish our own airplane factory.”

Keeping his promise, Nuri Demiraş set up an airplane workshop in Beşiktaş, İstanbul in September of 1936. Quite impressed by this initiative, the Turkish Aeronautical Association signed a contract with Nuri Demiraş on 22 January 1937 for the production 10 training aircrafts and 60 gliders. Deriving strength from the agreement, Nuri Demiraş rapidly expanded his investments and transformed the workshop in Beşiktai into a factory.

Unfortunately, the winds suddenly changed as of this point. Selahattin Reşit Alan, who worked as the chief engineer at Nuri Demiraş’s factory, died in a plane crash as he was landing in Eskişehir with one of the airplanes they manufactured at the factory. Following the accident, the contract between Nuri Demiraş and Turkish Aeronautical Association was soon annulled. Turkey thus lost a momentous opportunity to build her own planes through her own means.