Dutrieu learned to fly using a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle monoplane in early 1910.
On 19 April 1910 she reputedly became the first woman pilot to fly with a passenger.
On 25 November 1910 Dutrieu became the fourth woman in the world, and the first Belgian woman, licensed as an aeroplane pilot, receiving Aéro-Club de Belgique (Aero Club of Belgium) licence #27.
Her appearances at air shows earned her the nickname the "Girl Hawk".
There was a minor scandal early in her aviation career when it was revealed to the press that she did not wear a corset while flying.

She was also style conscious, wearing the first known high fashion pilot suit, designed by the Paris couturier Bernard  In September 1910 Dutrieu flew non-stop from Ostend to Bruges, Belgium.
From 26 September to 1 October she flew, frequently carrying passengers, at the aviation week in Burton-upon-Trent, England.
She was the first woman pilot to stay airborne for more than an hour and on 21 December 1910 she became the first winner of the Coupe Femina (Femina Cup) for a non-stop flight of 167 km in 2 hours 35 minutes.
In 1911 she regained the Coupe Femina temporarily with a flight of 254 km in 2 hours 58 minutes but that year's cup was eventually won by Marie Marvingt.
In September 1911 Dutrieu travelled to the United States with her Farman III biplane.
She competed for the women's altitude record and the Rodman-Wanamaker trophy, subsequently won by Matilde Moisant, at the Nassau Boulevard airfield meeting in Garden City, New York.
In the same year Dutrieu beat 14 male pilots to win the Coppa del Re (King's Cup) in Florence, Italy.
In 1912 she reputedly became the first woman to pilot a seaplane.
Later the same year she won a prize in competition against four other seaplane pilots, including Réne Caudron, at Ouchy-Lausanne, Switzerland.
In 1913 Dutrieu became the first woman aviator awarded membership of the Légion d'honneur (French Legion of Honour).
Dutrieu learned to fly using a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle monoplane in early 1910. On 19 April 1910 she reputedly became the first woman pilot to fly with a passenger. On 25 November 1910 Dutrieu became the fourth woman in the world, and the first Belgian woman, licensed as an aeroplane pilot, receiving Aéro-Club de Belgique (Aero Club of Belgium) licence #27. Her appearances at air shows earned her the nickname the "Girl Hawk". There was a minor scandal early in her aviation career when it was revealed to the press that she did not wear a corset while flying.
She was also style conscious, wearing the first known high fashion pilot suit, designed by the Paris couturier Bernard  In September 1910 Dutrieu flew non-stop from Ostend to Bruges, Belgium. From 26 September to 1 October she flew, frequently carrying passengers, at the aviation week in Burton-upon-Trent, England. She was the first woman pilot to stay airborne for more than an hour and on 21 December 1910 she became the first winner of the Coupe Femina (Femina Cup) for a non-stop flight of 167 km in 2 hours 35 minutes. In 1911 she regained the Coupe Femina temporarily with a flight of 254 km in 2 hours 58 minutes but that year's cup was eventually won by Marie Marvingt. In September 1911 Dutrieu travelled to the United States with her Farman III biplane. She competed for the women's altitude record and the Rodman-Wanamaker trophy, subsequently won by Matilde Moisant, at the Nassau Boulevard airfield meeting in Garden City, New York. In the same year Dutrieu beat 14 male pilots to win the Coppa del Re (King's Cup) in Florence, Italy. In 1912 she reputedly became the first woman to pilot a seaplane. Later the same year she won a prize in competition against four other seaplane pilots, including Réne Caudron, at Ouchy-Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1913 Dutrieu became the first woman aviator awarded membership of the Légion d'honneur (French Legion of Honour).
Hélène Dutrieu