Departure
99%
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MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Etimesgut Air Base is a Turkish Air Force airbase some 15 km west of Ankara, shared with the Turkish Aeronautical Association's Türkkuşu flight training centre. It offers a long ILS-equipped runway alongside a shorter parallel strip, and is notable for its long association with Turkish civil flight training and for the aviation museum on its northeastern corner.
Etimesgut Air Base, also known officially as Ankara Airport, is a military aerodrome on the western edge of Ankara. It is jointly operated by the Turkish Air Force, whose 11th Air Logistics Command is based there, and the Turkish Aeronautical Association (Türk Hava Kurumu, THK), which runs its Türkkuşu flight training centre from the airfield. For a simulator pilot the field is of interest for its long ILS-served runway, its mix of military transport types and light training aircraft, and the aviation museum housed on the airport grounds.
The airbase lies about 15 km (9.3 mi) west of central Ankara, Turkey, and sits within the wider Ankara terminal area alongside Esenboğa International Airport, Akıncı Air Base and Güvercinlik Army Air Base. Approach control for the area is provided by Esenboğa Approach. As a military installation with a co-located civil flight training operation, the field and its surrounding airspace are subject to military control.
The airfield has two parallel east-west runways. The longer runway, 11/29, is 8,044 ft (about 2,453 m) with a hard surface, lit, and served by an ILS on runway 11. The shorter runway, 11R/29L, is 4,838 ft (about 1,475 m), also hard-surfaced and lit. Field elevation is 2,644 ft.
Esenboğa Approach can be contacted on 119.1 MHz, and the tower frequency is 122.1 MHz. An ILS is available on runway 11 for instrument approaches.
The E90/D.200 highway linking Ankara and Istanbul runs along the northern boundary of the airfield and marks the division between the military-operated northern area, which uses the longer 11/29 runway, and the southern area used by the THK with the shorter 11R/29L runway. The Ankara Aviation Museum, open to the public, sits at the northeastern corner of the airfield and is a useful visual reference point when approaching from that side.
The Türkkuşu Training Centre of the Turkish Aeronautical Association, based at Etimesgut, was established on 3 May 1935 and comprises flight schools together with maintenance, logistics and ground support facilities; its aircraft have included the Antonov An-2, Cessna 402, Cessna 421, Dornier Do 28, Norman NAC6, PZL-Mielec M-18 Dromader and PZL-104 Wilga. The 11th Air Logistics Command, a direct subunit of the General Staff of the Turkish Air Force, has long been stationed at the base, historically operating the 211th ('Gezgin') Squadron with CASA CN-235M-100 transport and CN-235EW electronic warfare aircraft, and the 212th Special ('Doğan') Squadron flying Cessna 550 and 650 jets, Gulfstream IV aircraft, CASA CN-235M-100s and Bell UH-1H helicopters for personnel transport. The airbase has also hosted the International Defense Industry, Aerospace and Maritime Fair (IDEF) and civil aviation airshows.
Etimesgut remains an active military airbase jointly operated by the Turkish Air Force and the Turkish Aeronautical Association, combining military transport and liaison flying with the THK's civil flight training programme. The Ankara Aviation Museum on the northeastern side of the field is open to the public. As a military installation, prior permission is required for any flight into or out of the airfield.