TC could have easily outrun the Bell 206 JetRanger chasing him. TC's MD/Hughes 500D can achieve a top speed of 175 mph (faster than many fixed wing aircraft) and the Bell 206 tops out at 138.07 mph.
When Higgins started telling yet another one of his wartime stories, he says they captured an SS officer during the battle of Tobruk. There were no SS troops sent to Africa. Some of Higgins stories were inaccurate, which means either the script writers didn't know any better, or it was subtle hints that Higgins (occasionally) lied about his numerous.