Remarks: Hiva Oa airport bears the name of Jacques Brel (famous Belgian singer) who spent the last years of his life in Hiva Oa island. He owned a Beechcraft Bonanza with which he performed many flights in the Marquesas islands and with Papeete to help the local population. He is buried in the little cemetery of Atuona, his plane (F-ODBU) is preserved in Atuona in a memorial (at 15 kms from the airport).
Remarks: One of my goals of my trip to Marquesas islands was to shoot this historic plane. This plane was owned by Jacques Brel (Belgian singer, famous over the French language countries and even in the world). Jacques Brel was also a brilliant sailor and brilliant pilot. Escaping the rumours of the civilized world, he sailed to the Marquesas islands in 1975 and decided to settle down in Atuona village in the Hiva Oa island. He bought this plane to link the Marquesas islands and to link with Papeete. Several times, he did sanitary evacuations in difficult conditions. Unfortunately, he died in 1978 from cancer. He is buried in the little cemetery of Atuona not far from Paul Gauguin. He was very appreciated by the local population and his grave is always flowerished. His plane was restored in 2003 and is now preserved in a hangar which is also a little Jacques Brel museum. His plane is named "Jojo" after his best friend Gerard Pasquier died in 1974
