Ahmet Ali Çelikten
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Ahmet Ali Çelikten, also known as İzmirli Ali Ahmet, was a Turkish aviator of Afro-Turkish descent regarded as one of the first black pilots in history. He was one of the first black men to become a f
Çelikten with his flight cap, Yeşilköy Airfield (today Istanbul Atatürk Airport)
Ottoman naval aviators of the Naval Flight School (Deniz Tayyare Mektebi) at Yeşilköy; left to right: pilot Ahmet Ali (Çelikten), Sami (Uçan), İhsan and observer Hüseyin Kâmil (Görgün).
Ottoman pilots in 1914/1915 next to a Blériot XI-2 monoplane. Ahmet Ali Çelikten can be seen next to the propeller.
Eugene Bullard
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Eugene Jacques Bullard was one of the first African-American military pilots, although Bullard flew for France, not the United States. Bullard was one of the few Black combat pilots during World War I
Ahmet Ali Çelikten
…black men to become a fighter pilot, receiving his "wings" in 1914/1915. He was one of the few black pilots in World War I, similar to African American Eugene Jacques Bullard (flying for France), William Robinson Clarke from Jamaica (flying for Britain), Pierre Réjon flying for France and Domenico Mondelli from Eritrea (flying…
Bullard in his uniform as a French Army caporal
Bullard in his later years, wearing on his shoulder the croix de guerre Fourragère, 170th Regiment distinction, and the cap of French war veterans
Bullard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, 1954
Plaque of Bullard at the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame