Murat Öztürk (1953 in Konya – 19 May 2013 in Adana) was a Turkish professional

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...

pilot and former

camera operator A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task. In filmmak ...

Early life

Murat Öztürk was born 1953 in

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

. He worked as a news camera operator at the state-run television channel of

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish : ) is the national public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio provider in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio ...

(TRT). His professional life changed in 1985 when he was sent to Samandıra Airfield, Istanbul for a news footage on

ultralight aviation Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

. Afterwards, he took to flying ultralight aircraft, and acquired both pilot and instructor licenses.

Aviator

With a friend, Öztürk purchased an agricultural plot on the bank of

Lake Büyükçekmece Lake Büyükçekmece ( tr, Büyükçekmece Gölü) is a liman formed at the point where the river Karasudere flows into the Marmara Sea. The lake is located south of the Çatalca district, west of Istanbul, Turkey. It is used as a freshwater rese ...

to convert it into an earthen sports airfield for his flight exercises. He soon left his post as a cameraman, and, with the financial support of a businessman, built an asphalt-covered airfield with hangars that became known as Istanbul Hezarfen Airfield serving

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

. He co-founded the aviation company "Top Air", one of Turkey's first private flight training schools, which educated hundreds of professional and amateur pilots. Not long ago, he completely took over Top Air. His daughter Pelin Öztürk acquired her pilot license in 2011, and is working as a pilot-instructor in her father's flight school. Combining his photography experience with flying, Murat Öztürk became Turkey's first ever aerial photographer, and was awarded for his aerial imagery.

Aerobatic pilot

In 2010, he became interested in

. In 2012, Öztürk crashed with his Pitts Special

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...

at Hezarfen Airfield. After recovering from his injuries, he returned to flying. Since February 2013, Öztürk used to display aerobatics with his two-seat Pitts Special S-2B, registration TC-AYT, which he had purchased shortly before. After signing a sponsorship deal with an energy drink company in 2013, he performed his first aerobatic show above

Maiden's Tower __NOTOC__ The Maiden's Tower ( tr, Kız Kulesi), also known as Leander's Tower (''Tower of Leandros'') since the medieval Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, from the coast of Ü ...

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

on 28 April 2013. He then took part at an air show of the

Turkish Stars The Turkish Stars ( tr, Türk Yıldızları) are the aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force and the national aerobatics team of Turkey. The team was formed on November 7, 1992, and was named the Turkish Stars on January 11, 1993. ...

and Solo Türk held on 12 May 2013 at Hezarfen Airfield. To join an air show at the 2nd International Air Games Festival ( tr, Uluslararası Hava Oyunları Festivali) in

Adana Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million. Adana lies in the heart of Cilicia, wh ...

, he took off from Istanbul Hezarfen Airfield on 15 May 2013. After a refueling stop at Eskişehir İnönü Airfield he flew to Ankara, where he visited the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Öztürk arrived in Adana on 16 May, flying via

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

in Nevşehir Province. In Adana, he performed a number of aerobatic shows over the city on 18 and 19 May in conjunction with the celebrations of the

Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day The Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day ( tr, Atatürk'ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı), is an annual Turkish national holiday celebrated on May 19 to commemorate Mustafa Kemal's landing at Samsun on May 19, 1919, which is regard ...

Death

Öztürk died on 19 May 2013, when his plane crashed into the ground and caught fire while performing a diving manoeuvre during the air show in Adana. His body was taken to Istanbul, where he was buried at the

Eyüp Cemetery The Eyüp Cemetery ( tr, Eyüp Mezarlığı), aka Eyüp Sultan Cemetery, is a historic burial ground located in the Eyüp district, on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the General Directorate of Foundations. One of the ...

. He is survived by his wife Nilgün and daughter Pelin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozturk, Murat 1953 births 2013 deaths People from Konya Turkish photojournalists Turkish aviators Aerobatic pilots Turkish photographers Turkish businesspeople Sport deaths in Turkey Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Turkey Burials at Eyüp Cemetery Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2013