The Case of the Brilliant Pupil is the fifth short story in the anthology Biggles Air Detective which was first published in May, 1950. By this time, Biggles was already a Detective Air-Inspector. His promotion took place in Another Job for Biggles which was serialised as Biggles in Arabia from February 1950, predating the Air Detective by 3 months. In the anthology, this story is preceded by The Case of the Wounded Agent and followed by The Case of the Murdered Apprentice.
Synopsis[]
Biggles investigates a strange case of a known criminal who is taking flying lessons, although he already has a licence.
Plot[]
See Lancelot Seymour for a summary of the plot.
Characters[]
The Special Air Police[]
- Biggles
- Ginger Hebblethwaite
- Gaskin
- Air Commodore Raymond
Others[]
Aircraft[]
Ships[]
Places[]
Visited[]
- Gatwick, Air Police Operations Room. Inferred. Gaskin "ran down" to visit Biggles.
- Home Counties Flying Club, Sudley
Mentioned[]
- Borstal
- Lympne
- Croydon
- Canada
- Bayswater
- Eton
- Euston
- Crewe
Other points of interest[]
Cars and other transportation[]
- The Euston-Crewe express - scene of a robbery of treasury notes.
- Gaskin used a car
- Seymour had a chaffeur driven car
Newspapers/magazines/books[]
Firearms and other weapons[]
Brand names/products[]
- Lance Seymour wore an Eton tie.
- Barclays Bank - mentioned as the consignee of some stolen treasury notes
- Stolen items, treasury notes stolen from the Euston-Crewe Express in a canvas bag attached to a miniature parachute
Hobbies/activities[]
Food and Drinks[]
Organisations[]
- Seymour had already obtained his A licence and was now working for his B licence/
- Borstal
Research Notes[]
- See also the sequel in The Case of the Fatal Ruby.
References to the past[]
Incongruities[]
Chronology[]
- Mention of rationing - but that doesn't narrow the range much as rationing ended in the U.K. only in 1954.