Airborne is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's helicopter assault trooper and debuted in 1983.

Profile

His real name is Franklin E. Talltree, and his rank is that of sergeant E-5. Airborne was born in a Navajo Reservation in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. His primary military specialty is an airborne infantryman, while his secondary military specialty is helicopter gunship gunner. Airborne's parents are oil-rich Navajos who indulged their eldest son with sky-diving lessons, forever setting his love for being in the air. In college he also had interest in the legal system. He studied law and passed the Arizona State Bar exams. He later joined the army and opted for airborne training. He graduated at the top of his class from Fort Benning Airborne School. He is an expert in using Hughes Helicopter Chain Gun, M-16, M-60 and M-1911A auto pistol.

Toys

Airborne was first released as an action figure in 1983. The same figure was included in the "Original Team" mail-away set in 1986. A new version of Airborne was released as part of the

Spy Troops Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

series in 2003. He is renamed Sgt. Airborne and carded together with the new Tele-Viper action figure. A cause for confusion was introduced by the figure being packaged with the Tele-Viper as "Halo Jumper". The cardback, figures, accessories, and instructions are the same for both versions. This version was also recolored in 2004, and packaged with the "Sky Sweeper" jet, as part of the Valor vs Venom line.

Comics

Marvel Comics

Airborne first appeared in issue #11 of the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

series '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero''. He flies a glider against Cobra forces threatening the

Alaskan Pipeline The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is an oil transportation system spanning Alaska, including the trans-Alaska crude-oil pipeline, 11 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the Valdez Marine Terminal. TAPS is one o ...

. Airborne has a cameo in issue #24, as part of the cargo crew for a Joe transport plane. He later assists

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

in a supervisory mission to safeguard Snake Eyes. This turns into a running battle with Cobra officers

Destro Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV, usually referred to simply as Destro, is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and cartoon series. He is the leader of the Iron Grenadiers, and founder of M.A.R.S. ...

, Firefly and "Fred", one of the many

Crimson Guard The Crimson Guard is an elite organization within the fictional G.I. Joe universe. They are members of Cobra Command, the nemesis of the G.I. Joe team. They are often referred to by a phonetic spelling of their organization's initials, as "Sieg ...

smen. Airborne and the other Joes are assisted by the ninja known as the Soft Master, who treats Airborne's bullet wounds. He is the co-pilot for Wild Bill in the Dragonfly, when the Joes attacks the Cobra controlled town of Springfield. Airborne also participates in the first Cobra civil war. He is again a co-pilot, this time in the

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Eur ...

, when he assists in rescuing Snake Eyes and

Storm Shadow Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French low-observable, long-range, air-launched cruise missile developed since 1994 by Matra and British Aerospace, and now manufactured by MBDA. Storm Shadow is the weapon's British appellation. In French service, it is ...

from the Cobra Consulate in New York City.

Animated series

Sunbow

Airborne appeared in the Sunbow ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'' animated series voiced by

Peter Cullen Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He is best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in the original 1980s ''Transformers'' animated series, reprising the role many times since 2007. He has also voiced many other ...

. Airborne has a psychic bond with his brother Tommy. He first appeared in the mini-series "A Real American Hero". In the episode "Operation Mind Menace", Airborne joins

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid F ...

in tracking down Cobra to a base on

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its ne ...

, after Cobra kidnapped a Hawaiian girl who possessed psychic abilities. Airborne's brother Tommy was being kidnapped at the same time; the two brothers shared a psychic bond, allowing them to sense when the other is in danger, and the trauma of the event affected the psychic link Tommy and Airborne shared. The Joes were captured by Cobra, and

Cobra Commander Cobra Commander is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' franchise. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra and the archenemy of the G.I. Joe Team. He was portrayed by Joseph ...

used Tommy's abilities to attack the Joes, by transforming two Easter Island heads into giant stone warriors. Airborne and Flash fought off their attackers, until they were rescued by

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

and

Lady Jaye Lady Jaye is a fictional character in the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books and animated series. She was originally created as a character for the ''G.I. Joe'' animated series produced by Marvel Productions and Sunbow Produ ...

. The Joes then go to rescue Tommy, who is being held at a Cobra base in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

. Airborne helps Tommy overcome Cobra's control over him by bringing up their childhood memories. The episode "Cobra Soundwaves" reveals that Airborne has

extrasensory perception Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke Universit ...

. Due to this, he senses that Cobra has kidnapped Sheikh Ali.

G.I. Joe: The Movie

Airborne also appeared briefly in the 1987 animated film '' G.I. Joe: The Movie''.

Resolute

Airborne briefly appears and is along with the Joes looking of the footage of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

's destruction cause by Cobra's Particle Cannon.

Sky Patrol Airborne

A second Airborne was released as part of the Sky Patrol line in 1990. His real name is Robert M. Six, and he was born in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He is the "Sky Patrol" parachute assembler, and once the patrol is safely on the ground, he becomes their combat medic.

DiC cartoon

Airborne appeared in the DiC ''

'' cartoon, voiced by Phil Hayes.

References

External links

Airborne
at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page {{DEFAULTSORT:Airborne (G.I. Joe) Comics characters introduced in 1983 Fictional aviators Fictional Navajo people Fictional characters from Arizona Fictional United States Army personnel Male characters in animated series Male characters in comics Fictional military sergeants G.I. Joe soldiers