The great mind of military aviation: Alexander Kartveli
Public funds allocated by the government of independent Georgia to finance future aviation professionals proved crucial in the biography of one of the most significant figures in aviation in the United States and the world at large.
Alexander Kartveli (Aleksandre Kartvelishvili, 1896-1974) was born in Tbilisi. After graduating from school in 1914, he fought in the First World War as an artillerist. In 1918, Georgia declared independence. The aviation fleet of the young republic had up to 50 aircraft, but there was a shortage of pilots and aviation specialists. To make up for this shortage, in 1919, the government sent Kartvelishvili to Paris to study at the Higher School of Aeronautics and Mechanical Construction (l’École Supérieure d’Aéronautique et de Constructions Mécaniques), as it was then called, now the National School of Aeronautics and Space (Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace). Kartvelishvili completed his studies in 1922, but due to the occupation of Georgia by Soviet Russia, he was never able to return to his homeland. Between 1922 and 1927, he worked in the company of the famous French aviator Louis Blériot and participated in the design of Bernard and Ferbois aircraft. In 1924, one of his aircraft set a world speed record.
In 1927, he moved to work in the United States. During World War II and the Cold War, Alexander Kartveli became the great mind behind American military aviation. Among the aircraft he designed are the P-47 Thunderbolt, F-84 Thunderjet, F-105 Thunderchief, and many others.
For his great contribution to aircraft design and aeronautics, the Georgian engineer was awarded the U.S. National Medal of Science. He was elected an honorary member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
