The Resume

(July 6, 1892-December 21, 1986)
Born in Watermaal-Bosvoorde, Belgium
Heroic WWI Belgian flying ace with 37 enemy 'kills'
Winner of the French and Belgian Croix de Guerre and the British Distinguished Service Order and many others
Autobiography: published alternately as On the Wing and Flying Over Flanders
Full name: Willy Omer Francois Jeans Coppen de Horthulst

Why he might be annoying:

Thirty-four of his victories were against tethered, immobile, (though well-guarded) observation balloons.
His autobiography was published under two different titles, neither one very good.
He almost crashed when he missed hitting a balloon he was attacking and hit the tether lines instead, causing the balloon to fly into his craft.
He and most other Belgian pilots had to pay for their own training in England.

Why he might not be annoying:

He had almost as many 'kills' as all other Belgian aces combined.
Once the Germans tried to kill him by sending up a balloon loaded with explosives but he showed up while the balloon was still ascending, shot it down where it exploded on the ground, killing his would-be assassins and scaring the daylights out of him.
He was knighted after the war.
He set the then world parachute jump record in 1928 at 19,700 feet, after having lost his leg during the war.

Credit: tom_jeffords

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Alien Heads
• Amputees
• Bad Hair - Male
• Giraffes
• I Died in 1986 (Ranked: 94)
• I Have Poor Posture
• Knights
• Long Names
• Look at Me, I'm Relaxing
• Look at Me, I'm Wearing Military Garb
• Look at My Airplane
• Meaningful Names
• Pilots
• Profiles 26251-26500 (Ranked: 26377)
• Scarecrows [Tall Thin People]
• Served in World War I
• Stand Up Men
• Tom Jefford's Profiles [Series 01]

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 24 Votes: 4.17% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 17 Votes: 23.53% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 30 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 56 Votes: 41.07% Annoying