SABENA helicopters
 

Hi everybody,

I am looking for contacts and people regarding ex SABENA helicopter fleet (years 1947-1970).

So please if you know aircrew, where to find objects ... Feel free to answer!

Sabena Helicopters
 

Hi,

I'm afraid here is not that much to find anymore. Some articles, mostly in French or Dutch.

There is an out-of-print book about the Sabena helicopter fleet, issued by the Aviation Society of Antwerp. But an original, even second-hand is hard to find.

If you search on Ebay, you can find some old post cards or envelopes who were transported by Sabena helicopters. Collectors collect them for the stamp(s), not for the 'sabena helicopters' printed on it.

The S-58 helicopters were sold to the Belgian armed forces and served as SAR helicopters. They were replaced by the Westland Seaking Mk.48 in the seventies.
You can still see one in the Army museum in Brussels (OT-ZKF) and if I'm not mistaken, the German S-58C (D-HAUG) is also one of Sabena's fleet.
They operated two 'flying bananas' in 1958, during the world expo in Brussels (those were leased, remained N-registered). And they also had a couple of S-51s, S-55s and Bell 47s.

Too expensive, thats the reason why Sabena stopped operating this helicopter fleet in the sixties.

I can't think of an old crew member. There are some military Siko pilots alive, but none of them flew for Sabena.

Cheers,

VB

Thank you
 

Hi VB

Thank you for these info, I am already addicted to eBay to find material but I am looking for meeting people involved in HELI ops at Sabena

I met some years ago a former sabena HELI pilot at Brussels at "la Maison des ailes" but didn't keep his contact.

Scal

Most (all?) helicopters in th OO-SH& series were Sabena operated. See ROTORSPOT - Complete Civil Rotorcraft Register of Belgium to start. One of the Bell 47H is now in the museum at Weston-super-Mare and heli1 can guide you more on that