The VEF I-15 was a

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n advanced trainer aircraft of the 1930s. Two examples of the I-15, a small, single-engined

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

were built by the VEF to the designs of Kārlis Irbītis and were used by the Latvian Air Force

Development and design

In 1938, the Latvian aircraft designer Kārlis Irbītis, working at the Valsts Elektrotehniskā Fabrika (VEF) at

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

commenced design of a single-seat advanced trainer as a follow on to his earlier, similar

VEF I-14 The VEF I-14 was a Latvian Air Force trainer aircraft prototype, built by VEF. Design and development Kārlis Irbītis began work on the I-14 in 1936 in response to an order placed by the Latvian Air Force for a new trainer aircraft. Taki ...

aircraft. The I-15 was a low-winged

of all-wooden construction, powered by a single de Havilland Gipsy Six air-cooled engine, and fitted with a fixed

tailwheel undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynami ...

. In April 1939,Vercamer,Arvo
VEF IRBITIS I-15 (I-15a and I-15b)
. ''latvianaviation.com''. Retrieved 13 December 2009. the first prototype, the I-15a, powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) Gypsy Six I driving a two-bladed fixed-pitch wooden propeller, made its maiden flight, while a second prototype, the I-15b, was powered by a 220 hp (167 kW) Gypsy Six II engine driving a

variable-pitch propeller Variable-pitch propeller can refer to: *Variable-pitch propeller (marine) *Variable-pitch propeller (aeronautics) In aeronautics, a variable-pitch propeller is a type of propeller (airscrew) with blades that can be rotated around their long a ...

, and armed with a single synchronised machine gun followed, this demonstrating improved performance. The two I-15 prototypes were transferred to the Latvian Air Force for use as advanced trainers, while a further two aircraft, to be designated I-15bis and powered by Hispano-Suiza 6 Mb engines were ordered by the Air Force, but on 17 June 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Latvia, ordering all aviation related work to be stopped.Davis 1992, p.62.

Specifications (I-15b)

Notes

References

* Davis, Chuck. "Latvia's Little Hawk". '' Air Enthusiast'', Forty-eight, December 1992 to February 1993. . pp. 58–64. *"Plane Facts:Latvian lightweight". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...

'', January 1979, Vol. 16 No. 1. pp. 45–46.

External links

VEF I–15 Latvian aircraft
(In Latvian) {{VEF aircraft 1930s Latvian military trainer aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft VEF aircraft