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
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
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
Eugene Bullard
…War I (along with Pierre Réjon from France, William Robinson Clarke, a Jamaican who flew for the Royal Flying Corps, Domenico Mondelli from Italy, and Ahmet Ali Çelikten of the Ottoman Empire). Also a boxer and a jazz musician, he was called "L'Hirondelle noire" in French (literally "Black Swallow"). All Blood Runs Red…
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.