The third of three SO1221s leased by the US Army for evaluation in the observation role. Delivered as 57-6106 May 12, 1958, the helicopter was quickly side lined after extensive damage occurred during an accident on December 31, 1958. It was next noted in 1971 at the Department of Aeronautics, San Jose State College, in California. The aircraft is on loan to the American Helicopter Museum by American Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters, Inc).

A nice spring Sunday and a tobacco company hired a helicopter for a novel form of aerial advertising along Zandvoort beach. The pilot spotted a capsized boat and four boys in the cold water and dropped the signboard for them to use as a raft. The Djinn was registered to Aero Coop in The Hague from 1957 until 1965. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

Early production Djinn wearing only F-MAYI military call sign when on display at the 1957 Paris Air Show.

VH-INP was imported by Australian National Airways in 1957. It became part of the Ansett-ANA fleet when Ansett took over ANA. On May 21, 1958 -INP crashed while spraying potatoes near Laidley, Queensland. It was cancelled from the register soon after and did not resurface again until the 1970s when acquired by the Chewing Gum Field Museum at Tallebudgera. QAM purchased it in 2009.

Ex French Army FR56 preserved as V-23 to represent a Swiss example, that was in service between 1958 and 1963.

The Djinn was the worlds first production turbine helicopter. The type first flew in 1953 and about 150 were built. This anonymous 1955 built example was seen in the Helidan hangar and, whilst the only one seen, it is apparently one of three for sale.

French-built light helicopter. The Djinn was not powered by rotortips mounted-Marbore (these ones being the jet engines used to power the Fouga Magister so much, much larger than a Djinn blade tip!), but by compressed air provided by a Palouste turbogenerator and ducted all the way through the blades. So very noisy, high fuel burn and amazing power-to-weight ratio for the only jet-powered helicopter to have ever entered production.

Built in 1959, the Djinn was the worlds first production turbine helicopter

Seen hangared at St Cyr before these early helicopters became museum pieces.

The ingenious Djinn had its rotor driven by compressed air fed to the tips.

The somewhat succesful Djinn was propelled by compressed air fed to the rotor tips, and thus it could do without a tail rotor