Helene Dutrieu was born in Tournai in 1877 and had an exceptional destiny.
The daughter of a Belgian army officer, she left school at 14 and began to earn her own living.
Her first passion was cycling. In 1895, she participated in the first cycling races open to women.
Becoming a professional cyclist, she broke the hour record on the track in 1895. In 1897 and 1898, she won the unofficial title of world sprint champion in Ostend, where she acquired the nickname "the human arrow." In November 1898, she won the 12-day race in London, earning her the honor of being awarded the Cross of St. Andrew by King Leopold II.
She then earned a living through her aerobatic maneuvers (loops), initially on a bicycle, then on a motorcycle, and finally in a car.
In 1908, Hélène Dutrieu was approached by Clément Bayard to become a test pilot in France.
On August 30, 1910 (or September 2, 1910, according to Air Journal), she flew from Ostend to Bruges in 20 minutes, circling the city's belfry at an altitude of approximately 400 meters, with a passenger, breaking all women's records.
On November 25, 1910, the Aero Club of Belgium awarded her the first pilot's license granted to a woman in that country. She was the second woman in the world (shortly after Élisa Deroche in France) to obtain this license.
On December 5, 1910, in Étampes, Hélène Dutrieu, aboard her Henry Farman biplane, won the Coupe Femina (the women's record for the longest flight in a year, in terms of duration), covering more than 167 kilometers in 2 hours and 35 minutes.
On December 11, 1911, she shattered the world speed record, covering 254 km in 2 hours and 58 minutes.
On December 21, 1911, she became the first woman to break the one-hour mark in the air, with a flight lasting 1 hour and 9 minutes.
Hélène Dutrieu was also the first woman in the world to fly a seaplane.
In 1913, she became the first female aviator to receive the Legion of Honor.
When World War I broke out, she flew a few reconnaissance missions, then, with women no longer allowed to fly, she joined the French Red Cross as an ambulance driver and later managed the Val-de-Grâce hospital.
She died in 1961.
