On 25 November 1910 Hélène Dutrieu (1877-1961) became the first Belgian woman, and the fourth woman in the world, to be licensed as an aeroplane pilot, receiving Aéro-Club de Belgique licence No. 27. Apart from that, she was a cycling world champion, stunt cyclist, stunt motorcyclist, automobile racer, stunt driver, wartime ambulance driver and director of a military hospital.

In July 1912 Hélène Dutrieu became the first woman to fly a seaplane, a 50 hp float-equipped Henry Farman biplane, on Lac d’Enghien, north of Paris.