Vecihi Hürkuş, a pioneering figure in Turkish aviation, is being commemorated on the 56th anniversary of his death. Hürkuş was the first Turkish pilot to fly in Europe and produced Turkey's first indigenous aircraft, the Vecihi K-VI, which made its maiden flight in 1925. He was also the first Turkish pilot to shoot down an enemy plane in 1917 and conducted the first intercity flight between Ankara and Kayseri in 1927. Over a 52-year flying career, Hürkuş flew more than 30,000 hours across 102 different types of aircraft. He founded Turkey's first civil aviation school and left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire the nation's aviation and defense sectors, symbolized today by the HÜRKUŞ aircraft and the AKINCI drones. Various Turkish organizations and defense industry leaders have paid tribute to his contributions to national aviation and aerospace achievements.