BIGGLES AND THE PLANE THAT DISAPPEARED
Book First Published on 30th September 1963 - 159 pages
I believe this Biggles book was never serialised elsewhere. If anybody knows differently then please E-MAIL ME
The first edition dust jacket showing the original price of 8
shillings and 6 pence
Biggles is called in to
investigate the disappearance of a plane from Kingsmead Flying Club. Taffy
Welsh, the club's chief pilot was giving a half hour 'joy ride' to a paying
member of the public in a Piper Cub aircraft and has not been seen since.
Biggles, Ginger and Bertie set out on the trail (Algy being in India) and after
a week or so, their diligent enquiries give them a lead. An airfield at Lysett
in Somerset confirms they have refuelled the missing plane. The mysterious
passenger is identified as Snifty Chandler an ex-RAF pilot. Bertie follows
Chandler in the police Auster aircraft, the next time he refuels the stolen Cub
at Lysett. Chandler lands at an isolated farmhouse and engine trouble forces
Bertie to land there as well. Here Bertie is held captive and discovers that
Taffy Welsh is also a prisoner. Forced to help by flying the Auster, Bertie
discovers that Chandler is smuggling industrial diamonds to France, for onward
transmission behind the iron curtain. Meanwhile, Biggles and Ginger track
Bertie to the farmhouse and alert the French authorities to the fact that an
unauthorised aircraft is coming their way. Bertie and Chandler drop off the
diamonds and pick up a mysterious passenger to return to England. When they
don't respond to calls to land by the French authorities, they are fired upon
and this passenger is killed. A landing to try to help the passenger results in
a minor crash. Chandler makes his own way back to England after trying to kill
Bertie, who later follows on to England in the Auster. With the help of
Inspector Gaskin, Biggles and Ginger raid the farmhouse and find a Doctor
Hammal, who is the mastermind behind the racket. Chandler, who has returned to
England, is killed trying to escape in the stolen pup. Arrests are made in both
England and France to end the racket. The dust cover shows a close up of a
pilot and the silhouette of a plane in the background. It is not clear who the
pilot is meant to be.
Click here to see the story illustrations from this book
Biggles and the Plane that Disappeared
Subtitle - A story of the Air Police
Publication Details - published by Hodder and Stoughton
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail
“Children’s Book Club” edition reprint – click on the above
picture to find out more details
Johns signed proof copy, from my own private collection, with his
note that it is “Not corrected (none necessary)”
This proof copy is date stamped on the reverse 4th June
1963. The publication date was 30th
September 1963