My story so far

I often struggle to provide a concise answer when people ask about my profession. My background is diverse: I studied biology, earned an MSc in animal behavior from Bern University in Switzerland, and focused on the ecology of wild cats through various projects. This was however after 2009. Prior to that, I worked as an editor for a geography magazine in Istanbul. So, when asked, I typically mention these two roles —biologist and editor— as they fit conventional professional categories of conventional mindsets. In fact, I rarely mention my other ventures: producing belly dancing costumes, searching for German U-boats in the Black Sea, making a TV documentary in Germany on those U-boats, and crafting high-quality Messerschmitt Bf 109 cockpit parts for museums and collectors worldwide. I pursued these interests passionately, including my work with belly dancing costumes.

In 2017, I made a significant career shift after discovering over 20 F-4 Phantom airframes at a scrapyard in Izmir, Turkey. At that time, I was completing a project on the Eurasian lynx in the Taurus Mountains for the United Nations Development Programme. Being an aviation enthusiast and collector since childhood, I felt a strong pull to these F-4s and saw it as a new opportunity. I quickly wrapped up the lynx project, struck a deal with the scrapyard, moved to Izmir, and spent the next five months working tirelessly to salvage as many F-4 parts as possible. By the end, I brought home over 1.5 tons of F-4 material and a strong JP-1 odor.

Since then, I’ve completely transitioned myself to a new career, focusing on selling F-4 Phantom cockpit parts and producing Messerschmitt Bf 109 instrument panels. I am no longer a biologist.