Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
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Zenith builder, owner and fellow pilot Necip Ulku passed away today
Hi everyone,
I hate to be the bearer of such news but I felt I had a responsibility to let you know that today we lost Necip Ulku, 53, electrical engineer by trade and passionate aviator, in an airplane crash. (Zenith.aero profile 1 profile 2)
Ulku had built one of the first Zenith models in Turkey, the STOL CH 701. He went on to build a Sonex kit aircraft and had a hangar constructed in his hometown of Ankara with a dirt runway next to it.
Ulku used his aircraft and his passion for flying to spread this love to many people young and old. Here's a YouTube video of the first flight of a young enthusiast with Ulku's Zenith aircraft.
Ulku's Zenith was also the first aircraft to land at the then under development Sivrihisar International Sport Aviation Center, a rare private facility that aims for the development of aviation through a lack of the usual fees levied to aircraft for use of the facilities. Here is a photo from that inaugural landing:
According to the reports and photos of the crash site Ulku was not flying the Zenith at the time of the crash but another experimental kit aircraft.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John Austin on
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Sounds like he was a true aviation pioneer in his community and surely will be missed by many. My condolences.
John
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Permalink Reply by Clint L Gosch on
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Very sorry to hear of this loss... I hope everyone he introduced to aviation keep his memory alive by participating in this great hobby full of wonderful people. Best wishes to his family and friends.
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Permalink Reply by Efe Cem Elci on
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Thank you for the kind words. I hope for the sake of aviation that at least a portion of those he touched continue in his steps.
By the way, any one have any idea what aircraft this is?
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Looks like an M-Squared or a strut braced Quicksilver of some kind.
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Permalink Reply by Walt Snyder on
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So sorry, Efe, he seems like someone all of us would have liked to have known..
It's not a Quicksilver
Walt Snyder
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Permalink Reply by Mack P. Kreizenbeck on
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Thanks for reporting this loss.
I and my family send our condolences.
May he rest in peace and that his family can take comfort from all of us in the flying community.
Mack
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Permalink Reply by Wayne Tyson on
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So sorry to hear of this tragedy. I have a soft spot in my heart for Turkey, having spend over a year there in 1962-63, and made many friends. Unfortunately, I've lost contact with them.
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