Ahmet Ali Çelikten was a Turkish professional pilot.
Born and raised in İzmir, Aidin Vilayet, Ottoman Empire, Ali, first filled with a clairvoyance to become a navy, enrolled in the Naval Technical School Haddehâne Mektebi in 1904. Four years later, he passed out from this school as a First Lieutenant before proceeding to study aviation courses at the Naval Flight School in Yeşilköy, Turkey, fully becoming a member of the Ottoman Air Force.
When he began serving in the aviation sector in November 1916, Ali made history by becoming the first black pilot in history. He was one of the first black males becoming a fighter pilot, receiving his wings in 1914. Three years later, he bagged an appointment as a flight Captain and was subsequently sent to Berlin, Germany, to finalize his aviation courses. Soon after he was done studying these courses, he was assigned to the Izmir Naval Aircraft Company where he rose through many ranks, becoming one of the few black pilots in World War I. However, after the end of World War I, Ali preoccupied himself with working with the Turkish War of Independence and endorsed the Turkish National Movement. He volunteered his services as a pilot at the Konya Military Air Base, in Konya, Turkey. It was in 1949 that he retired from the aviation industry.
Ali is maternally a Nigerian of Hausa descent…..See More
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