By Mohamed Attia
Egyptian Pilot Mohamed Sedki took off from Berlin, and went from one place to Europe with another plane until he arrived in Cairo on January 26, 1930
The Ministry of Civil Aviation will celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the Civil Aviation Day next Thursday, which falls on January 26 of each year.
The first Egyptian aviator set out to fly from Berlin to Cairo on 25 January 1930 and arrived one day later on 26 January, now celebrated as Egypt’s National Civil Aviation Day.
One of the most intriguing chapters in Egyptian history records early attempts by the country’s aviators to fly solo from Europe to Egypt, with 26 January, Egypt’s National Civil Aviation Day, marking the first successful flight of Egyptian pilot Mohamed Sedki from Berlin to Cairo in 1930.
Sedki’s success and earlier attempts earned the support of former king Fouad, always interested in supporting exploration and discoveries whether in the air or on land.
The successful attempt by Sedki, dubbed as the Egyptian Eagle, in January 1930 to fly from Europe to Egypt was preceded by other unforgettable attempts.
There were those by Ahmed Hassanein Pasha, a legendary figure in the history of aviation. Better known for his exploration of the Western Desert, he was one of the most powerful men in various governments under king Fouad and king Farouk and an adventurer at heart, attempting to fly from Europe to Egypt several times before 1930.
The plane Sedki flew was a small one-seater that weighed 250 kg and had a 40 horsepower engine. Sedki used it to fly from Berlin to Alexandria, where he landed at the Abu Kir airport on 25 January.
He had started his epic flight across Europe on 12 January, passing through the former Czechoslovakia, the former Yugoslavia, and Italy all the way to Egypt in unfavourable weather. Governor of Alexandria Hassan Sabry Pasha welcomed him at the Airport, before he flew again to Heliopolis Airport in Cairo, arriving on 26 January.
Sedki’s successful flight caused a sensation at the time, as thousands of people cheered him on at Heliopolis Airport, where a model plane made of flowers awaited him. Captain Goldsmith, in charge of the Abu Kir Airport at the time, exclaimed that Sedki’s was the smallest airplane he had ever set his eyes on. In Cairo, Sedki’s feat was celebrated at a formal ceremony that included representatives of king Fouad, such as Yehia Pasha, as well as prince Abbas Halim, prime minister Mustafa Al-Nahhas Pasha, minister of transport Mahmoud Al-Nokrashi, and the delegated German minister.
This step encouraged Kamal Elwi, another Egyptian pilot who had learned to fly before Sedki and whose private plane was the first registered plane in Egypt, to lead a campaign to form EgyptAir.
His call was met with the call of the Egyptian economy pioneer, Talaat Harb, to establish an airline to handle air transport business at home and abroad. To celebrate this day, it was decided that it would be the 26th January of each year as a national holiday for Egyptian Civil Aviation.
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