Coppens & Lindbergh...

Any truth to the wonderful story that Coppens was there at Le Bourget to greet Lindbergh on his arrival in 1927?
The account I read even credited Coppens with being the fellow who took Lindy's flight helmet, placed it on another bystander, pointed to same, and exclaimed to one and all that here was Lindbergh! (This was to enable Lindy to make his "escape" through the crowd...)
Coppens did speak English; in his FLYING IN FLANDERS, he mentions an incident where visiting US politicians were convinced themselves that Coppens was an American flying with the Belgians, because he spoke to them in English...

[Barrett]

I never had the pleasure of meeting Willi Coppens but can attest that he wrote letters in flawless English--eloquently. So it may be possible that he could have passed as an American.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Capt. Lewis:
I had met Willy Coppens in 1970, I believe at Marvin Hand's reception for Willy. Willy had come to the US as Marvin's guest to see the Hanriot HD-1 that Marvin had rebuilt. In 1972 Patti and I visited with Willy at LaPanne in Belgium. During a very late discussion, Will related to me the meeting with Lindbergh at Le Bourget after he had landed. The story is true, but what he did not say in his autobiography, "Days on the Wing" what he thought about Lindbergh. He was rather diparaging of his intellect and used the term "cabbage head". Willy spoke excellent English with a slight Englisg accent. He was the the Air Attache to the Court of King James for several years. A very interesting person. We had driven to Houthulst Forest, asnd said to me, "I wish the King had given me this instead of the title with no land!"
King Albert had made him the Baron, the Chevalier Willy Coppens de Houthulst , a title without land. I have several stories about Willy.
Blue skies,
Dan-San Abbott

Thank you very, very much, Dan-San; when I read about you knowing Coppens in another thread, the Lindbergh story came to mind.
I'm surprised at Coppens' opinion of the Lone Eagle; I would have thought that Lindy WAS an intellectual of sorts. But everyone is entitled to their opinion; chacun a son gout...
Certainly, as Air Attache, Coppens was in a good position to see Lindbergh "in action"-- I'm referring to the latter's visit to Nazi Germany in the late 1930's...
Would you care to share one or two stories about Coppens, either here or in another thread?
In any event, thank you for confirming one of my favourite stories... BTW, Lindbergh, IMHO to his everlasting credit, made a point of visiting Nungesser's widow (an American) while in Paris, to assure her that all was being done vis a vis Nungesser and Coli's disappearance; you can read this on the front page of the NY Times headlining Lindy's landing in Paris...

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Capt.Lewis:
Willy had an American car with a standard mile dial rather than kilometer dial, Willy ingored the fact that a kilometer was different. If the road sign said 50 (km/hr) Willy obliged them and drove 50mph insteadof the 31 mph. He told me a story where a cop stopped him and told him he was driving to fast , He ask the cop, Do you need a ride, I'll takr you there, don't just stand there , get in!" Willy said the cop said "No, I don't need a ride." Willy said "OK,I am in a hurry." And Willy drove off leaving the cop standing there. I asked Willy if he ever heard anything about it, he said no and laughed. I throughly enjoyed him. We met again in 1976, he was staying with Jan Olieslager's daughter. He was a monarchist first class, he believed that you could only be born to rule and ridiculed the abilities of elected officials. He was fun to talk to. The first night we talked until 3:30am and atfter 8:30 breakfast we drove to Le Moeres where his aerodrome had been. He talked of Commandant Jacquet and King Albert, who he absolutely adored.
Blue skies,
Dan-San Abbott

Thank you, yet again, Dan-San, for sharing your knowledge and insight...
Yes, quite so about King Albert; I urge everyone to read Coppens' book FLYING IN FLANDERS, and you'll have a wonderful impression of the King, not from "word-pictures", but from incident after incident. I don't know what is epitaph is written on the King's tombstone, but it could very well read (from Shakespeare), "This was a man..."
PS Coppens wrote that he always did have something for speed; I was VERY impressed as how he would take his plane up a few thousand feet, switch the engine off, and DEADSTICK down to a landing... I'm not sure if that was any more dangerous then as it would be now, but it does take some skill (Dwight Rudder would probably be the best one to ask)...

Maybe he thought of Lindbergh as a cabbage head because of his opinion that the Luftwaffe was "unstoppable"?

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Kory Clark:
Willy was not referring to Lindbergh's admiration of the Luftwaffe, he was talking about his meeting with him in the Hangar at Le Bouget where they were together for some time, Willy's impression of Lindbergh was a duh! But who would not be duh after 33 hours in the air plus additional 24 with no sleep. I mentioned this in our conversation, to which he replied he was a cabbage head. By the way Willy did all his own writing. He was fluent in english, french and flemish. Willy's problem was that he was very outspoken, which worked against him. Had he been a little more diplomatic in dealing with people in the military and goverment he would have been the Commanding general of the Belgian Air Force, instead with all his connections he only became a Colonel.
At breakfast he said to me, "I have an appointment at 10:30 this morning, so we will have to get done by then, what we are going to do, OK?" I said sure I was tickled to death that he was going to give us that much time. In front of the Hotel du Parc he told Patti, "You ride with me, the Colonel can take his car." I was suddenly promoted from sergeant to Colonel, the rest of the time together, I was the Colonel. I told him that I was a Sergeant, he said, "No, you are now a Colonel!" He took off in a cloud of dust in his Dodge and I chased after him in a Fiat 128s. His driving was a sight to see, cut across corners over the curbbing all the while he was talking and jestering animatedly with both of his hands. It was all I could do to stay up with him in that Fiat. When we got to Le Moeres, I asked Patti, "How was the drive?" She answered white faced,"Exilerating!" I laughed. Then Willy explained where
everthing was, the hangars, the farm house where commodant Jacquet stayed and the King visited the front lines. By now thhe time was approaching 10:30 and I mentioned it to Willy, he responded with "Oh yes, let's go to Poelcapelle and visit the Guynemer Memorial Monument!" At 11:00 that night we returned to the Hotel.
willy was pretty cagey, he was protecting his time. It was an absolutely marvelous day. Patti and I will never forget it.
Blue skies,
Dan-San Abbott