Summary
The VEF I-15 was a Latvian advanced trainer aircraft of the 1930s. Two examples of the I-15, a small, single-engined monoplane were built by the VEF to the designs of Kārlis Irbītis and were used by the Latvian Air Force
| VEF I-15 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Advanced trainer |
| National origin | Latvia |
| Manufacturer | VEF |
| Designer | Kārlis Irbītis |
| First flight | 1939 |
| Primary user | Latvian Air Force |
| Number built | 2 |
Development and design edit
In 1938, the Latvian aircraft designer Kārlis Irbītis, working at the Valsts Elektrotehniskā Fabrika (VEF) at Riga commenced design of a single-seat advanced trainer as a follow on to his earlier, similar VEF I-14 aircraft. The I-15 was a low-winged monoplane of all-wooden construction, powered by a single de Havilland Gipsy Six air-cooled engine, and fitted with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage.[1]
In April 1939,[2] 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, and armed with a single synchronised machine gun followed, this demonstrating improved performance.[1]
The two I-15 prototypes were transferred to the Latvian Air Force for use as advanced trainers,[1] 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.[3]
Specifications (I-15b) edit
Data from Air International, January 1979 [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 7.10 m (23 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 8.00 m (26 ft 3 in)
- Height: 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) [4]
- Wing area: 10.77 m2 (115.9 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb)
- Gross weight: 960 kg (2,116 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy Six Series II six-cylinder inverted air-cooled inline engine, 160 kW (220 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 331 km/h (206 mph, 179 kn)
- Cruise speed: 300 km/h (190 mph, 160 kn) (max continuous cruise)
- Range: 610 km (380 mi, 330 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
Armament
- Guns: 1× machine gun
Notes edit
- ^ a b c d Air International January 1979, pp. 45–46
- ^ Vercamer,Arvo. VEF IRBITIS I-15 (I-15a and I-15b) Archived 2005-12-17 at the Wayback Machine. latvianaviation.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
- ^ Davis 1992, p.62.
- ^ VEF I-15. SAMOLOTY WOJSKOWE ŚWIATA 1935-1945. (In Polish). Retrieved 13 December 2009.
References edit
- Davis, Chuck. "Latvia's Little Hawk". Air Enthusiast, Forty-eight, December 1992 to February 1993. ISSN 0143-5450. pp. 58–64.
- "Plane Facts:Latvian lightweight". Air International, January 1979, Vol. 16 No. 1. pp. 45–46.
External links edit
- VEF I–15 Latvian aircraft (In Latvian)