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The Fairey Jet Gyrodyne and Biggles[]

In the Action Comics story The Saboteur, a Fairey Jet Gyrodyne, described as a search and rescue helicopter, picked Biggles up after he ejected from a sabotaged F-86 Sabre. As there were only 1 prototype built, its presence in Canada is a matter for conjecture, as is the use of a strictly experimental platform for search and rescue. Probably Albert de Vine, the artist, was having a bit of fun, or wanted (in the best traditions of the early Johns works) to introduce many new aircraft types to his readers.

Fairey jet dyne-saboteur

Albert de Vine's Fairey Jet Rotordyne. There's the boxy fuselage and twin tail with no tail rotor but the key identifying features here are the single rotor post (so it is not a Huskie) and the two small pusher propellors on stub wings on both sides of the fuselage (an earlier drawing showed a pusher prop on the starboard side also). Note this craft appears not to have a nose wheel!

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