Melikgazi Municipality, which has always supported the aviation sector with its investments and projects, visited the former Rector of Erciyes University, Prof. Dr. The interview program on the Kayseri Aircraft Factory, with Mehmet Şahin as the speaker, was held.

“Kayseri: Türkiye's First Cornerstone in Aviation…”

Melikgazi Municipality Mayor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Altun, stating that they will rewrite the unfinished story in Kayseri by establishing the Mehmet Altun Aviation and Space Technologies Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, said: Mustafa Palancıoğlu gave a speech at the program, saying, "As Melikgazi Municipality, we have brought such a distinguished high school as the Aviation and Space Technologies High School to Kayseri. It is our source of pride that the story that began 100 years ago is being revived, and that new generations, young people who will guide the industry of Kayseri and the country, are being trained here. In this context, we want to and are doing many studies related to aviation. 50 very successful students have started at the Aviation High School. They are studying English preparatory courses. To motivate them, we took them on many visits, including TEKNOFEST in Istanbul. They visited TUSAŞ and ASELSAN in Ankara. They touched the Gök Bey helicopter, which many of us may not have seen. They saw the Kaan aircraft and the Hürkuş, and had the opportunity to meet with the engineers and technical staff who produced them. Hopefully, the young people who will graduate from here will be generations who will guide the future of our country, just like Selçuk Bayraktar. In my childhood..." The name Aircraft Factory was mentioned. They said that airplanes were produced here, but I didn't know if it was a story or a fact. While exchanging ideas about how to develop Kayseri, we realized that Kayseri was the first cornerstone in Türkiye in the defense industry and aviation. Aircraft production had started here. But of course, unfortunately, with the Marshall Plan aid in 1949-50, this aircraft production stopped and it continued as the Air Supply Maintenance and Repair Center. Our goal is for Kayseri to once again have a say in aviation, aircraft production, and the production of aircraft parts. The fact that companies like TOMTAŞ, KAYTEK, and Kim Teknoloji have been established here is an indication that Kayseri has started investing again in aviation and the defense industry, and that many industrial companies will support this work. As Melikgazi Municipality, during the pandemic, we published a book called 'Kayseri Aircraft Factory' about the Aircraft Factory. Immediately afterwards, from Erciyes University... Our professors have published a second book at our Metropolitan Municipality. Hopefully, a third and a fourth will also be published, and together we will protect Kayseri's aviation culture. I would like to thank Professor Dr. Mehmet Şahin for this interview and his contributions.” he said. Former Rector of Erciyes University, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şahin, who shared important information and experiences about Kayseri Aircraft Factory and Turkish aviation history with the participants, said in his speech; He explained the establishment process of TOMTAŞ, which started operating in Kayseri in 1926, the Kayseri Apprenticeship School, and the economic and cultural effects of the Aircraft Factory on Kayseri, and thanked Mayor Palancıoğlu for his support to the aviation sector.