US pays homage to famous aircraft designer Alexander Kartveli

The legacy of a Georgian aircraft designer who contributed to the allied victory in World War II was the theme of a special occasion at the Embassy of Georgia in the United States (US) earlier today.

At the event dignitaries, officials and members of the public marked the life and work of Alexander Kartveli (1896-1974), who spent most his creative life designing military aircraft for the US Air Force and advising the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Aiming to raise awareness of famous Georgian-born figures who left their mark in the US, the Georgian Embassy in Washington teamed up with the Alexander Kartveli Association of the US to host today's occasion.

Alexander Kartveli (second from left) photographed after receiving an award in the US for his design of the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter jet.

At today's event organisers staged a screening of two documentary films about Kartveli and his life and achievements.

In addition, officials from the US Embassy and US institutions delivered speeches about the Georgian designer.

The speakers included Alexander Kartveli Association chairman Ricahrd Evan Rubin and former US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland, who is now a Professor at Georgetown University in Washington.

An exhibition on Alexander Kartveli and his work was hosted in Tbilisi, Georgia in 2015. Photo from the Georgian National Museum.

Born Aleksandre Kartvelishvili in 1896 in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, Kartveli was studying at the Highest School of Aviation in Paris, France when Soviet armies invaded his home country in 1921.

He decided against returning home to occupied Georgia, graduated from the French aviation school in 1922 before designing a number of aircraft for French aviator Louis Bleriot. One of his designs established a world speed record in 1924.

The Georgian engineer's achievements were noticed by American entrepreneur Charles Levine, who invited Kartveli to work at the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation in New York, starting in 1927.

While in the US, the Georgian met well-known Russian-born aircraft designer Alexander de Seversky and joined his company Republic Aviation, where Kartveli worked as chief engineer in the 1930s.

Scale models for some of Kartveli's aircraft designs were exhibited within a display at the Georgian National Museum in 2015. Photo from the Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Diaspora Issues.

It was at Republic Aviation that Kartveli received worldwide recognition for his involvement in projects such as the famous P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, which saw major service in the United States Army Air Force (USAAF, later renamed to United States Air Force) during World War II.

Following the war Kartveli moved to jet aircraft designs and created a number of aircraft including the F-84 Thunderjet. He also contributed to the design of the iconic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft that still serves in the USAF.

Kartveli later worked as adviser to NASA, designing a space shuttle draft project.

In recent years Kartveli's name has become more popular with people in Georgia and abroad, as the world remembers his successes and achievements in the aviation industry. In September last year his name was given to the Batumi International Airport in Georgia's seaside city Batumi.

To further recognise Kartveli's lifelong work, an exhibition honouring his career was hosted during the International Week of Science and Innovation in Tbilisi in November 2015.