The man who assumes the patronship of this year's tailwheelmeet has approximately 24.000 flying hours under his belt of which at least 5.000 on taildraggers. He had the pleasure of flying Spitfires and lots of other precious metal, so he surely knows what he's talking about. This is his story.
Danny was born in Veurne near Coxyde Airbase. Flying has always been his main interest and in the fifties Spitfires filled the skies with their special roar, it sounded like music !
His first flight in a taildragger as a passenger was in a J3-cub. he was only seventeen then, and the look from above, the fields below in square forms gave him a first impression of a new world that opened for him. He started his military career as an air traffic controller and when he became detached in Rwanda-Burundi, they could fly on a club-aircraft, a J3-cub at reasonable cost. There he decided to become a pilot and when back in Belgium he enlisted as a student pilot and flew taildraggers like SV4, Piper PA18, Dornier 27. He bought his first Stampe in 1976.
In 1978, he left Defense to start a civilian career. Since the Stampe was his favourite aircraft, he wanted to bring as many SV4’s as possible back to Belgium. He started the « Antwerp Stampe Center » and sought contact with clubs in the USA, U.K. and France. He also wanted a permanent museum and together with his good friend Karel Bos, he managed to found the Stampe & Vertongen Museum in Antwerp. It houses 8 Stampes, 2 Nieuports, 2 Fokkers, one Albatros DV, one Sopwith Camel and a Harvard. Danny flew most of them himself and he also had the opportunity to fly Spitfires.
‘Tailwheel flying is special and one of the truths is : the landing is only finished when the aircraft has come to a complete stop !’ (Danny Cabooter)