Not the real Jacoba, Countess of Holland, arriving at the Keukenhof flower gardens, flown in by Sabena helicopter boss Anselme Vernieuwe. This was even before the Belgian airline's helicopters became popular in the Netherlands by coming to the rescue after the 1953 North Sea floods. The landing spot seems to be a pasture well away from the park, with the church of De Zilk in the background. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

As OO-UBA is fitted with mail containers and the airborne helicopter is not, this photo may well show Sabena's maiden Helipost service on 21 August 1950. It appears that a helipad had been built on Jan van Rijswijcklaan on the site of the current Antwerp Expo building. Photo from: Paul Lammens collection

The mail helicopter on its way, presumably over eastern Belgium. The daily circuit was Brussels - Libramont - Liège - Tongeren - Hasselt - Beringen - Turnhout - Herentals - Antwerp - Brussels. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

'The mail helicopter in Libramont.' Sabena's involvement with helicopters began with an air mail contract and OO-UBA flew the first circuit around eastern Belgium on 21 August 1950. Note the 'mailboxes' fitted. This football pitch in Libramont, a small but central town in the Ardennes, was the first stop from Brussels - Porte de Ninove / Ninoofse Poort. The other stops were: Liège - Orban; Tongeren - De Motten park; Hasselt - St Hubertsplein; Beringen - Vigor football club; Turnhout - road to Kasterlee; Herentals - Oude Vaart; and Antwerp - Wilrijkse Plein.

Operated by Sabena on experimental internal air mail services from Brussels. Later OO-SHX. From Sabena 60 years ago.