Location: ANR/EBAW

Photo: collection Skystef

Description: this factory fresh Allouette III was on July 12 1974 delivered to the Belgian Government as "O-PCB" operated by Protection Civile / Civiele Bescherming under the name of Héli-Secours / Helihulp. The registration was referring to Protection Civile / Civiele Bescherming, with the French titles on the left hand side and the Dutch on the right hand side. Here it's seen such from its Dutch side with near the stair "Helihulp" titles. It was operated to bring caualties on the ground in a fast way to any hospital in Belgium as road transport was at that era still not that advanced. Summer operations were held in Flanders with base usually at Brugge but during the first couple of years also at Beernem or Walem while the winter operations were held in Wallonia with base at Crisnée. A plausible reason why it carried the military sign "O-" instead of civil "OO-" could be that the Belgian CAA refused to give a CofA for these kind of operations. On April 29 1975 it had an accident near Walem (Belgium) when on an evacuation exercise the net carrying 5 people broke off during flight, sadly no one survived. A report (in Dutch) of this accident can be found here.

Location: ANR/EBAW

Photo: collection Skystef

Description: seen from the French side with near the stairs also "Helisecours" titles.

Location: ANR/EBAW

Photo: collection Skystef

Description: carrying an emergency telephone number "900".

Location: OST/EBOS

Photo: collection Skystef

Description: ultimate on July 1 1976 it was written in the Belgian civil register with a valid CofA and kept on doing the same business, here seen such on a visit at Ostend airport. On January 22 1978 it was damaged at a hospital at Brugge (Belgium) when the rotor hit a building, but was repaired afterwards. A report of this accident (in Dutch) can be found here. Its last flight was made on October 15 1986 as the government decided there where no funds anymore to maintain these kinds of operations with this heli afterwards being stored at Crisnée. It was cancelled from the register on September 4 1989 after in January 1989 being sold to the Belgian Air Force. It was in July 1989 transported by road to Koksijde Air Base and would become "M-4 / OT-ZPD". However the deal fell through never taking up the military serial. Instead it was in April 1991 transported by a Belgian Air Force C-130 to Marseille airport as being sold to Eurocopter for a resale. But no buyer was found and it's fuselage was over there last seen in October 1997, still in the same original Belgian outfit.