Kārlis Irbītis

Kārlis Irbītis (October 14, 1904, in Lāde parish, Governorate of Livonia – October 13, 1997, in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada) was a Latvian aeroplane designer.

His greatest successes, for the VEF factory, were the sports plane VEF I-12 (1935) and the monoplane VEF I-16 (1939), used as a fighter aircraft. After World War II, when he had emigrated to Canada, he was the designer of the experimental Canadian vertical landing and take-off aeroplane, the CL-84 (1950).

Aircraft designed by Kārlis Irbītis

Irbītis I-1 Sprīdītis – sport, single-seat / Nikolajs Pūliņš & Kārlis Irbītis (P.2, I.1) 1925 Irbītis I-2 Ikars / N. Pūliņš & K. Irbītis (P.3, I.2) Irbītis I-3 – by Herberts Runka Irbītis I-4 Vanadziņš / A.S. ″Christine Backman″ Irbītis I-5 Ikars II – trainer 2-seat by Nikolajs Pūliņš Irbītis I-6 Gambija – trainer single-seat by Nikolajs Pūliņš Irbītis I-7 Zilais Putns – trainer single-seat by Nikolajs Pūliņš Irbītis I-8 Zilais Putns II – trainer 2-seat / Nikolajs Pūliņš & Kārlis Irbītis Irbītis I-9 Kaija – monoplane / Valsts Daugavpils Arodskola Irbītis I-10 Vanags – by Riga Aviation Club / Valsts Daugavpils Arodskola 1935 VEF Factory Irbītis VEF I-11 – sport (low-wing distance racer) Irbītis VEF I-12 – trainer 2-seat, converted to single-seater Irbītis VEF I-14 – sport (low-wing racer) Irbītis VEF I-15a – trainer military single-seat Irbītis VEF I-15b – bomber Irbītis VEF I-16 – fighter Irbītis VEF I-17-1 – trainer military 2-seat Irbītis VEF I-17-2 – trainer military 2-seat (engine Shvetsov M-11) Irbītis VEF I-18 – sport trainer by Latvia Aeroclub Irbītis VEF I-19 – fighter project Other CL-84 – world's first successful tilt-wing aircraft / Canadair 1965