Chronology
 |
LATVIAN AVIATION CHRONOLOGY—EVENTS PRIOR TO 1919
1866
- Born: Teodor Kalep, future aircraft manufacturer
1880
- July 22 Born: Eduards Pulpe, future Latvian pilot in the Russian Imperial Air Service
1886
- Born: F.Zutte, future commander of the Aviation Division, at Sloka
1887
- Born: Friedrich Zander, leading member of the First Student Society for Aeronautics and Flight Technology (Riga)
1888
- Born: Karlis Santins, future General Inspector of Aircraft for the IRAS.
1889
- January 9 Born: Jezups Basko, aviation pioneer and future commander of the Aviation Regiment, near Daugavpils
- January 20 Born: Alfreds Valleika, first commander of the Aviation Regiment
- Born: Karlis Skaubitis
1890
1891
- September 5 Born: Eduard Tomsons, pioneer of the Aviation Regiment
1893
- May 10 Born: Rudolfs Drillis, future commander of the Aviation Park
1894
1895
- Born: Roberts Eidemanis, future organizer of Soviet civil aviation
1897
- January 1 Born: Jekabs Alksnis
- August 11 Born: Edvins Bitte, future aviator
1901
- February Born: Margeris Kenins, future aircraft designer
- April 6 Born: Oskars Dzervitis, future engineer
- September 14 Born: Nikolajs Pulins, future pilot and aircraft designer
1903
1904
- October 14 Born: Karlis Irbitis, future pilot, aircraft designer and builder
1905
- Born: Herberts Runka, future aircraft builder, in Madona
1906
1907
- Eduards Pulpe graduates from the Moscow University
1908
- March 6 Born - Georgs Novickis, future aircraft designer/builder
- May 7 Born - Haralds Melkus, future aviation engineer
- Eduards Pulpe goes to Germany for advanced studies at the University of Heidelberg.
- The First Student Society for Aeronautics and Flight Technology (Riga) is formed.
1909
- Eduards Pulpe returns to Riga to teach mathematics at a High School in Dubulti.
- The First Student Society for Aeronautics and Flight Technology (Riga) builds a biplane hang glider with which they make 200+ flights in the vicinity of Riga.
1910
- February - The First Transmission, Machinery and Foundry Factory (MOTOR) produces the first complete aircraft manufactured entirely by themselves alone.
- March 7 - The first Russian air exhibition opens in Riga.
- May 22 - A.Leitner brings a Hans Grade monoplane to Riga.
- May 30 - Dr.Orla Anzen attempts a Wright biplane flight at the Riga Hippodrome, but after six attempts it is cancelled because the take-off run was too short.
- July 6 - T.Meibaums flies the Grade monoplane for 56 seconds. This was the first powered aircraft flight in Riga and took place at the Solitude horseracing track at Zasulauks.
- Eduards Pulpe and his students at the Kenins private school design and build a powered aircraft. Pulpe later flew this a number of times at the beach near Riga.
- The Russo-Baltic Wagon Works (RBWZ) establishes an aeronautical division in Riga. Before it was transferred to St.Petersburg in 1913, they built 10 aircraft - seven Sommers, two Hackels and a Kudashov IV.
1911
- March 5 - A.Kuzminski flies a Bleriot IX for 1 minute, 50 seconds (Solitude track, Zasulauks).
- March 6 - V.Smit flies a Sommer biplane for 3 minutes, 44 seconds (Solitude track, Zasulauks).
- March 8 - V.Smit flies a Sommer biplane for 1 minute, 55 seconds (Solitude track, Zasulauks).
- March 10 - V.Smit flies a Sommer biplane for 9 minutes, 37 seconds (Solitude track, Zasulauks).
- May - Janis Steglavs, originally from Jelgava, makes his first flight in his own designed and built "Biplane No.1" in St.Petersburg.
- June 15 - The first public demonstration of an aircraft flight in Riga. Russian pilot Sergei Utochkin flew a Farman IV at the Riga Hippodrome.
- Janis Sumanis builds a successful hang glider.
- Alfreds Rozentals, still in high school, builds his own hang glider which he successfully flies at Mezaparks.
- P.Abrams, Karlis Vizins and Treibergs build a successful hang glider.
1912
- Karlis Skaubitis travels about Russia demonstrating flights in a hot air balloon.
- Born: Karlis Mikelsons, future test pilot
- Eduards Pulpe goes to Paris to study aeronautical engineering at the Sorbonne.
1913
- April 30 Teodor Kaleps, aircraft manufacturer, dies.
- April Vladimir & Lidija Sljusarenko establish a small aircraft construction and repair shop, along with a flying school, in Riga.
- December - Eduards Pulpe receives his pilot's license (#1571).
- MOTOR factory builds and tests a streamlined monoplane designed by a Russian, Viktor V. Dibovski.
- A.Rozentals builds a powered airplane. This aircraft was eventually repossessed by the bank.
1914
- After graduating from the Riga Polytechnical School, Friedrich Zander finds employment at the Provodniks rubber products factory in Riga.
- The RBWZ automobile division, still based in Riga, designs and builds the 160-hp RBWZ-6 engine for use in the Il'ya Mourmetz.
1915
- April 25 Born: Arnolds Mencis, future Latvian aviator.
- c.April Eduards Pulpe, flying for the French, shoots down two German aircraft over Verdun.
- c.JulyThe MOTOR factory is evacuated to Moscow (becoming the Gosaviazavod Nr.4 imeni Frunze, later the Zavod Nr.24
- September 8 Alfreds Rozentals, flying for the IRAS, is shot down and killed.
- December 15 Eduards Pulpe is awarded the Medaille Militaire.
- Provodniks rubber products factory moves from Riga to Moscow, and Zander moves with it.
1916
- March 20 Pulpe shoots down one German aircraft and forces another to land. For this action he receives the Croix de Guerre avec Palmes.
- April 15 Russian 12th fighter squadron bases itself in the field near the cement factory, and becomes the first aviation unit based
at the future site of Spilve aerodrome.
- July 21 Eduards Pulpe is shot down and killed by German Fokkers near Kovel.
1917
- February 28 Olgerts Teteris is shot down and killed.
- August Edvins Bitte graduates from flight school in Sevastopol.
- October 5 Nikolajs Pulins, then a cavalry officer, is wounded in battle and then captured by the Germans.
- Jekabs Alksnis graduates from the Military Academy at Odessa.
1918
- October 27 Edvins Bitte defects from the Bolshevik air force joing the White Russian forces.
- November 18 Latvia declares its independence.
- November 25 Nikolajs Pulins is released from the German POW camp and returns to Riga.
- December 3 Nikolajs Pulins volunteers for Latvian army.
- December 23 The first meeting, in Riga, to lay the foundations for a Latvian air force.
- December The Bolshevik 1st Aviation Division moves into Spilve, and remains there until February 8, 1919.
|