Pre-war Sabena schedules
 

See this thread:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...ghlight=sabena

I am interested to know more about the flight my mother would have come on from Berlin to London, on or around September 23rd 1938. It seems it may have been a Ju52. Anyone know the route? Refuelling in Brussels? Anywhere else? Times?

Seems a long shot, but this board is fairly incredible, so any info gratefully received.

QDM

I do have an Imperial Airways timetable for March1938.
It lists a Sabena/DLH service dep Berlin1445 Dusseldorf 1710/1725 Brussels 1815/1835 Croydon2005.
There may have been a change of aircraft at Brussels as Ju-52 and Savoia are both mentioned.

Sabena old days...
 

Hola QDM...
xxx
Cannot help you much about the schedules back then.
As far as the type aircraft, it could have been a JU-52, but according to the Sabena history, their favorite airplanes were then Savoia Marchettis (S-73s and S-83s?), which were then faster airplanes.
xxx
One thing is certain, is that she landed in Brussels, not necessarily for fueling but obviously because of traffic rights. Also possible they changed airplane type, during her stop there, so maybe she did one sector on a Junkers, the next maybe on Marchetti... who knows...?
xxx
Back then, the airfield was in Evere, suburb located some 5 km NE of the city, very close (opposite side) from were NATO headquarters are located today. The old hangar remained there for many years, even after the airfield got closed in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Nothing remains there nowadays.
xxx
The expressway from the present airport (EBBR - Zaventem) to the city, leads you by the site of that old airfield location, just before you reach the urban area.
xxx
Try to find the site on "google.be", for the "Maison des Ailes" in Brussels, they might have some people there that know where to locate documents going back to these days. Also, the aviation museum in Brussels, has a lot of old publications about Sabena in their dusty vaults... All I remember is seeing posters there, which showed Marchetti planes, and advertising routes, to the then Belgian Congo. Some pictures also.
xxx
Another site, might be under the name "Prosper Cocquyt", a famous Sabena pilot, back then flying Marchettis and maybe Junkers, who ended as Sabena chief pilot in the late 1940s or early 1950s... My only claim to fame is that I sat on his lap when I was a kid, visiting the cockpit of his CV-240 on the way to Croydon...
xxx
:)
Happy contrails

Many thanks to both of you. This is fantastic information. I think that timing and schedule from March 1938 is almost certainly the same as the one she must have taken in September as she mentioned a stop in Duesseldorf and getting into Croydon in the evening. They were actually searched again in Duesseldorf and she nearly had a ring detected on her finger which could have got them arrested, so a lucky escape there.

Many thanks again.

The daily 1938 flights Berlin to London were joint Sabena/Lufthansa, different carriers operated on different days.

Sabena had both Ju52s and SM.73s and 83s in use then on the London route. The Junkers were German, the Savoia-Marchettis were licence built by Sabca in Belgium. That is how things were often done in those days.

The times I have for August 1938 are only a few minutes off those quoted by Renfrew :

Berlin Tempelhof - 1435
Dusseldorf 1655/1720
Brussels - 1815/1830
Croydon - 2000

The aircraft overnighted at Croydon (hangared of course !) and returned to Berlin the following morning.

Sources :

Cooke Continental Timetable August-September 1938 (had air times)
The World's Airways (1938), chapter on "Belgian Airways"
Complete Sabena prewar fleet listing here
http://www.europeanairlines.no/Fleet_SABENA_170504.htm

You guys are amazing. Thanks!

End september 1938, Sabena had five Ju 53/3m :
OO-AGU c/n 5510
OO-AGV c/n 5514
OO-AGW c/n 5672
OO-AUA c/n 5815
OO-AUF c/n 5852
Source :
John Pacco : Les avions de la Sabena, JP Publications, Aartselaar (Belgium), 2005.