The patronship of the 15th Tailwheel Meet will be awarded posthumously to Armand Coesens, founder and former owner of Overboelare airfield. Armand started his aviation adventure in late 1969, the year he took his first flying lessons …and created an airfield at te same time. EBGG was born. First solo followed soon on the 10th of May 1970 in a legendary taildragger, his Cessna 120 with call sign OO-ACE. The call sign proved to be extremely fitting for a man who didn’t let the lack of both hands (cfr. Non-aviation related accident) stop him from making his dreams come true. A vivid example of willpower and perseverance to all of us.
Between 1969 and 1985 Armand accumulated approximately 1000 flying hours and along the way he owned a number of historic aircraft among which nothorious taildraggers like the Fairchild, Stampe SV4 and Piper Super Cub. In 1996, although he was no longer flying, he opened his private airfield to provide a new home for our gliding club which was going through a difficult period at the time. This was another proof of a great aviation heart!
Our club is still active on the field to this day, being very grateful for the role Mr. Coesens played in the further existance of the club. Unfortunately Armand died on the 8th of August 2020, exactly the weekend during which we would have organized our 15th Tailwheel Meet….but couldn’t due to Covid. It seemed as if Armand had choosen this moment because he wouldn’t disrupt the flying activities at his beloved airfield….
A remarkable man with an aviation legacy that lives on in his son Luc and granddaughters Indy and Luna. We will never forget him.