After a massive purge within the military, the Turkish Air Force has been recruiting pilot candidates who were unable to pass competency tests in the past, reported the Habertürk daily.
According to the report the air force recalled 1,040 military pilot candidates who were eliminated in previous tests. The daily claimed that the Gülen movement had plotted against these pilots and issued reports indicating a lack of competence for the failed candidates.
A total of 976 of the previously eliminated candidates reportedly responded in the affirmative to the call for re-evaluation. Eight hundred thirty-one of them passed the competency test and are currently in training to become military pilots in the Turkish armed forces.
More than 500 pilots were dismissed as part of a purge since a failed coup in Turkey on July 15, while others left the military to work in the private sector. A total of 800 pilots have left, leading to a serious gap in personnel in the air force.
According to international watchdog groups, one-third of the Turkish military has been affected since the botched coup.
