Keerbergen

51°00'23"N 004°40'19"E

Runway: N/A - grass flying field

Keerbergen airport (Dutch: vliegveld Keerbergen) was a small airfield 28 kilometer northeast of Brussels.
It was founded on 20 april 1932 as "Champ d'Avion de Keerbergen" for a period of 30 years. Most of the initial work (studies, negotiations, etc) was dome by one of the shareholders, Mr. Ernest de Neck, but the grounds were owned by the Goelens-Lints family. Mr. Goelens had the airfield constructed just in front of the Heihoeve, a local farm, and named it "Cogéa".
The farm was converted to become a bar-restaurant with a big terrace to watch the activities and have a drink.


A Briguet19 of 11Escadrille/11Smaldeel (squadron) after its crash at Keerbergen in 1932 (source).


Keerbergen airfield in the early 1950s (collection Jean-Pierre Lauwers, found on BelgianWings.be).

During World War II the airfield was confiscated by the Germans, who turned it into a decoy airfield. At the same time it served as a practice grounds for pilots and as a retirement home for officers. For this last function a series of new and tastefully styled homes was built in the surrounding forest.

In 1963 the Cogéa company came to its end after 30 years. At the location of the airfield a lake was excavated, surrounded by 300 building plots
Today only the German built homes still exist, the airfield itself has been dug out and turned into a recreational lake. The sand from the lake was used to build a golf course on the south bank of the lake.


Keerbergen in 2009, the entire airfield had disappeared into a local lake and a golf course (Google Earth).