About

Traveler

My father, Nuri, immigrated to Germany to work as a coal miner in 1973. Fourteen years later, he retrained to be an international coach driver. Throughout my childhood, I had the privilege of accompanying him on numerous tours across Europe. It was during those travels that I became fascinated by the diverse cultures and customs in the places we stopped by. I attribute my enduring wanderlust to these formative experiences.

Subsequently, my passion for travel has taken me to explore more than 56 countries. I am eager to share my experiences from these journeys on this website in the near future.

Aviator

My aviation story began in the Ruhr area, in the West of Germany. Beside coach driving, my father ran a boutique travel agency selling tickets for Istanbul Airlines. While I grew up learning the ins and outs of airline ticketing, our family traditions kept us grounded – mostly traveling to Turkey by car or bus. But everything changed in the summer of 1995 when we took to the skies for our holiday. That first Boeing 737 flight planted a seed that would shape my future: I wanted to become a pilot.

Life, however, had other initial plans. My growing computer skills opened different doors, and the path to becoming a pilot seemed distant. Yet, my passion for aviation never wavered. Through hundreds of flights as a passenger, I found myself constantly studying every detail of these magnificent machines. I even built a flight simulator at home, mastering virtual versions of the Airbus A320 and A350, but something was still missing.

2017 marked a turning point when I realised that passions shouldn't just remain geekiness. I decided to turn my aviation dreams into reality, but first, I wanted to honour another childhood memory – those coach tours with my father. In Germany, I worked my way up through various licenses: trucks, articulated trucks, and even motorcycles, before finally sitting behind the wheel of a coach. Those precious few tours where my father and I shared the driver's seat, just before his retirement and my relocation, became treasured memories.

During visits to Turkey, conversations with airline pilots reignited my original dream. I took the first step by enrolling in flight school, earning my Private Pilot License (PPL). The joy of flying only made me hunger for more, leading me to pursue the modular airline transport pilot license course.

My training adventures took me across Turkey's diverse landscape – from the sprawling metropolis of Istanbul to the serene Black Sea Coast where my parents' village lies. I proudly earned my Commercial Pilot License (CPL), adding ratings for Single-Engine Piston (Land), Multi-Engine Piston (Land), Single and Multi-Engine Instrument flying, Advanced Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (AUPRT) and Multi-Crew Coordination (MCC).

In January 2025, thirty years after that first inspirational flight, my childhood dream became reality. I joined one of the world's most prestigious airlines as a First Officer, currently completing my Airbus A320 type rating. Sometimes the longest journeys lead us exactly where we're meant to be.

Technologist

My journey in software development began in 2001 when I started modding forums. Soon after, I found myself at the intersection of software and commerce, as I began coding software solutions tailored for small merchants.

I specialise in digital transformation and modernisation programs, migrating from legacy platforms to cloud-native and headless commerce architectures. I build and scale remote, distributed product development organisations. My strategic initiatives have resulted in growth by expanding into new geographies and categories, with a keen focus on localisation. I am committed to operational excellence and have consistently improved customer experience and efficiency by investing in back-office systems using automation and data engineering. I have valuable experience supporting investment and M&A transactions through due diligence and integration strategies.

I serve as Vice President of Engineering (VPE) at Justlife. Prior to that role, I was Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at LoveCrafts and Namshi as well as Project CTO at Rocket Internet. For a comprehensive overview of my professional experience, please refer to my LinkedIn profile.

Personal Life

I was born in Herne, Germany, where I spent the first 22 years of my life. I have since resided in chronological order in Dortmund, Berlin, Dubai, San Francisco, London, Hamburg and Bremen. Since early 2020, I have called Istanbul, Turkey, my home – a city I proudly regard as the most magnificent city in the world.

I share my life with my dear wife Hilal, along with our beloved children, Hümeyra and Halis.

Follow me on

For aviation and travel stories, follow me on Instagram.
For aviation videos, follow me on YouTube.
For professional updates, follow me on LinkedIn.
For anything else, follow me on Twitter.