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This Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of my first flight from Belgium to Congo. The 51-day journey built up the foundations of Sabena's African aviation expertise and subsequent successor, Brussels Airlines.
On February 12, 1925, navigators and pilots Edmund Tyfry, pilot Leopoldroger and mechanic Joseph DeBruicker embarked on an ambitious 8,000-kilometer journey from Brussels to the Congo colony of Belgium at the time. . He flew a Handley Page aircraft named Princess Marie Jose and landed 51 days later in Leopoldville, Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Belgian crew became the first to fly the Sahara, despite being lost twice in the desert. They were better than their French and British counterparts, but they faced many challenges along the way.
The aircraft was forced to make five emergency landings, and at one point the propeller broke. To avoid sandstorms, they flew at an altitude of up to 2,500 meters, higher than the usual 2,000 meters.
Sabena only established regular flight connections to Congo in the mid-1930s, and yet it still took a few days to travel. The airline's African Network remained an important part of its operations until it went bankrupt in 2001.
New attempts bring about tragic endings
In 1928, Thieffry attempted two more flights to Congo by sports plane. The first attempt failed at Philipville (now part of the province of Namur), and the second ended at Montpellier, France. Undeterred, he pursued plans to develop domestic aviation services within the colony.
Tragically, he and a fellow pilot crashed during a test flight near Lake Tanganyika. Thieffry was only 36 years old. His body was found near Lake Tanganyika.
Same route
Today, Brussels Airlines continues its legacy of Belgium and African Airlines. During the summer season, we operate 56 flights a week, including daily direct flights from Brussels to Africa. “Brussels Airlines flies to Kinshasa the same route my grandfather took 100 years ago,” says Bernard Hannin Tiffrey, Edmund's grandson.
A special postage stamp has recently been issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this historic flight. Each seat in the five stamps (price of 15 euros) features the entire route of the first Congo flight alongside images of Princess Marie Jose and her crew. Edmund Tiffrey's heritage also lives in Brussels. There, the Etterbeek metro station holds his name.
Princess Marie Jose of Kinshasa – April 3, 1925 © Photo The Handley Page
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