Two Stories About Flying -THE BLACK AEROPLANE (Part-II)

Two Stories About Flying Part-II

By– Frederick Forsyth 

Read the extracts given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black. It was impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane. The old aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air. I looked at the compass. I could not believe my eyes: the compass was turning round and round and round. It was dead, too. It would not work!

(a) Why did it become impossible for the writer to see?

(b) Why was the aeroplane twisting in the air?

(c) What could have happened as a result of compass failure?

(d) Where could the pilot not establish contact?

Ans. (a) It became impossible to see because his plane entered inside the storm clouds where everything was dark.

(b) All the instruments of the plane were not working and due to darkness, the plane could not be kept under control.

(c) The narrator could have lost his path.

(d) He could not establish contact with Paris control.

2. There was no answer, the radio was dead too. I had no radio, no compass, and I could not see where I was, I was lost in the storm. Then, in the blank clouds quite near me, I saw another aeroplane. It had no lights on its wings, but I could see it flying next to me through the storm. I could see the pilot’s face–turned towards me. I was very glad to see another person. He lifted one hand and waved.

 (a) From where did the narrator expect an answer?

(b) why did he not receive any answer?

(c) Where was he lost?

(d) What problem did T face in the storm?

Ans. (a) From the radio i.e., control station.

(b) Because the radio was not working.

(c) He was lost in the storm clouds.

(d) ‘I’ could not see where he was and was lost in the storm.

3. I knew I could not fly up and over them, and I didn’t have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south. “I ought to go back to Paris.” I thought, but I wanted to get home.

(a) What does ‘them’ in the first sentence refer to?

(b) Why could he not fly over on either side of storm clouds?

(c) Why did he not go back to Paris?

(d) Where was the pilot of the plane flying to?

Ans. (a) The storm clouds

(b) Because he had limited fuel, just to reach England by a straight route.

(c) This was because he was anxious to reach home.

(d) The pilot of the Dakota plane was flying from Paris to England.

4. He turned his aeroplane slowly to the north, in front of my Dakota, so that it would be easier for me to follow him. I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child.

(a) Who does ‘He’ refers to in the first sentence?

(b) Why did the pilot of the black aeroplane bring his plane in front of the Dakota aeroplane?

(c) How was the pilot of the Dakota plane an obedient child?

(d) How did the pilot of Dakota land safely through the storm?

Ans. (a) The pilot of the black aeroplane.

(b) Because of it. would be easier for the Dakota plane to follow it.

(c) The pilot of the black aeroplane had asked him to follow him and he obeyed just like an obedient child.

(d) Suddenly, the pilot of Dakota saw a black aeroplane. Its pilot guided and brought him safely out of storm clouds and he landed at the airport.

5. Now there was only enough fuel in the old Dakota’s last tank to fly for five or ten minutes more. I was starting to feel frightened again. But then he started to go down and I followed through the storm.

(a) Why was the narrator frightened again?

(b) What for ‘it’ stand in the last sentence?

(c) Why was the black aeroplane going down?

(d) How did the black plane rescue the first pilot?

Ans. (a) Because he was left with fuel only enough for five to ten minutes but his plane was still in the clouds.

(b) The black aeroplane

(c) This was because its pilot had seen an airport to land.

(d) The pilot of the black plane brought his aeroplane in front of the Dakota plane to make it easier for it to follow him and brought it out of the storm clouds safely.

6. She looked at me very strangely and then laughed. “Another aeroplane! Up there in the storm! No other aeroplanes were flying tonight. Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.”

(a) Who is ‘she’ in the first sentence?

(b) Why did the lady at the control room look strangely at him?

(c) What made the situation a mystery?

(d) Why do you think there were no other planes flying?

Ans. (a) The woman in the control room.

(b) His question seemed absurd to her as she had seen no other aeroplane at the radar except the narrators.

(c) The fact that the lady at the airport control room had not seen any other aeroplane on the radar.

(d) This was because of the stormy weather.

Answer the following questions in 30.40 words:

1. What happened when the author turned the aeroplane twelve degrees west towards England?  

Ans. The author saw the huge storm clouds that looked like black mountains standing in front of him across the sky.

2. Explain the statement: ‘I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child.

Ans. The pilot came across huge storm clouds. He could neither go above them nor go around them due to lack of fuel. Then, he saw a black plane without lights on wings, flying near his plane. Its pilot waved and signalled him to follow him. The author did not have much choice but to follow him.

3. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it?

Ans. The risk is that of going through the storm in the narrator’s old Dakota aeroplane. He flew through as he did not have fuel to fly around them, and couldn’t fly over them. Also, he wanted to get home for a big English breakfast.

4. Why did the pilot think of going back to Paris?

Ans. The pilot came across huge storm clouds that seemed to him like black mountains. He could neither go above them nor go around them due to lack of fuel. That was when he thought of returning to Paris.

5. Which two options did the pilot of’ the Dakota plane have when he encountered the storm clouds on his way? What did he decide to do? Why?

Ans. The two options he had were: either to go back to Paris or to go through the storm clouds. He decided to go through the storm clouds because he wanted to reach home and spend the holiday with his family.

6. Why could the woman in the control room not help the pilot of Dakota?

Ans. When the pilot of the Dakota plane asked the woman in the control centre about the black aeroplane and its pilot, she could not help him because she had seen no other plane flying that night on the radar.

7. Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.

Ans. The writer was going from France to England. He was flying his Dakota aeroplane. When he had gone 150 kilometres from France, he saw storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of him across the sky.

8. Recount the experience of the pilot of the Dakota inside the black clouds.

 Ans. The pilot found that everything was black inside the clouds. It was impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane. The old aeroplane rolled and jumped in the air. The compass and other instruments stopped working. Suddenly his radio also went dead.

9. HOW did the black aeroplane rescue the first pilot?

Ans. The pilot of the black aeroplane waved his hand. He gestured the first pilot to follow him. The writer followed him. He followed the black plane for half an hour. Suddenly, his plane was out of the clouds. He could see the lights of the airport and landed his aeroplane. In this way, the black aeroplane rescued the first pilot.

10. Was the pilot of the Dakota able to meet the pilot of the black?

Ans. No, he was not able to meet the pilot of the black aeroplane. When he was going to land his plane, he looked behind him. But the black plane was not there. The sky was empty. The woman at the control centre told him that no other planes were flying on that stormy night.

11. Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.

 Ans. The writer was going from France to England. He was flying his Dakota aeroplane. When he had gone 150 kilometres from Paris, he saw storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of him across the sky.  

12. Why did the writer feel frightened once again?

 Ans. The pilot of the black plane waved to the writer to follow him. The writer flew his plane behind him for half an hour. He found that there was fuel in his aeroplane for five or ten minutes more. So he felt frightened once again.

13. Why was the narrator happy and what was he dreaming of?

Ans. It was a clear and cloudless night. The moon had come up in the east. Stars were shining above. The narrator was happy. He was flying high up above the sleeping countryside. He was dreaming of his holiday and being with his family.

14. Why and when did he call Paris control-room?

Ans. It was one thirty in the morning. He wanted to call Paris control. He switched on the radio and told that Dakota DS 088 was on his way to England. The narrator got the necessary instruction that he needed. He was asked to turn twelve degrees west towards England.

15. What did he find when he checked the map and the compass?

Ans. The narrator checked the map and the compass. He switched over to his second and last fuel tank. He turned the Dakota twelve degrees west towards England. He thought that he would be in time for breakfast. Everything was going well and it was an easy flight.

16. Why didn’t he return to Paris when he saw the storm clouds?

 Ans. Paris was 150 kilometres behind him when he saw the storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of him. He could not fly up and over them as he didn’t have enough fuel. He thought of going back to Paris but changed his idea. He decided to go to England to be in time for breakfast.

17. The narrator had two options before risking himself entering the storm clouds? Why didn’t he choose them?

Ans. Definitely, the narrator had two options before him if he didn’t want to take the risk of entering the storm cloud. He could turn back and go to Paris which was about 150 kilometres behind him. Another option was to fly up and over the dark clouds. But he didn’t choose any of the options. He wanted to be in England to have his breakfast in time. He couldn’t fly around the clouds to the north or south as he didn’t have enough fuel to fly.

18. What did he do when he was inside the clouds?

Ans. The narrator took the risk of entering the black storm clouds. Inside them, everything was suddenly black. Nothing could be seen outside. The old plane jumped and twisted in the air. He couldn’t believe his eyes when his compass was dead. His other instruments didn’t work and were dead too. He tried to contact Paris control on the raids but received no answer.

19. How was the narrator lost in the storm clouds and what did he try to do to come out of them?

Ans. The narrator had entered the storm clouds. Nothing was seen outside. Everything suddenly turned black. The old plane jumped and twirled in the sky. He looked at the compass. It was dead. He tried other instruments but they also refused to work. He tried the radio to contact Paris control but no answer came from there.

20. Who rescued the narrator when he was hopelessly lost in the storm clouds?

Ans. There seemed no hope for the narrator. He was hopelessly lost in the storm clouds. His compass and other instruments were dead. Even Paris control didn’t respond. In such a hopeless situation, the narrator saw another aeroplane flying next to him. It had no light on its winds but he could see the pilot’s face. The pilot came to his help. When he said “Follow me,” the narrator followed him like an obedient child.

21. How and when did the narrator feel that he was safe now?

Ans. When the pilot of another plane came to the narrator’s help, he was extremely happy. When he said “Follow me,” the narrator obeyed him like an obedient child. The strange black aeroplane was still guiding him. The narrator got worried as the old Dakota had petrol enough to fly for five or ten minutes. Suddenly when he was going down, he found himself out of clouds. He saw two long straight lines of lights of the runway. There was an airport where he could land safely.

22. Did the narrator meet the pilot of the black aeroplane? How did he and his aeroplane disappear in the sky?

 Ans. No, the narrator didn’t meet his rescuer. When he was out of the storm clouds, he looked back. He found no trace of the aeroplane. Nor did he see the face of the pilot. Only God knows where they disappeared. Even the control room couldn’t record their presence.

23. Why did the narrator want to meet the woman in the control tower? Did he get any information about the mysterious disappearance of the black aeroplane and its pilot?

Ans. The narrator didn’t know how the pilot and the black aeroplane disappeared in the space. He wanted some definite information from the woman in the control room about them. She told him that on that stormy night no plane was in the sky except his old Dakota. So, the narrator couldn’t know anything about the mysterious man who helped him to arrive safely without a compass or a radio.

24. What is the message that Frederick wants to give to the readers through the lesson ‘The Black Aeroplane’?

Ans. Never say ‘die’ till the end. Never lose hope in the most hopeless situation. No one knows who may come to save you. The narrator was really in such a hopeless situation when he lost contact with Paris control and all his instruments and the compass was dead. Then came the mysterious pilot of the black aeroplane to guide the narrator to safety.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words :

1. The narrator made every possible endeavour to save himself. He did not lose hope in direct situations. What values helped him endure the critical situation bravely? Discuss in 100-120 words.                                              

Ans. The author’s plane did not have enough fuel. He knew that because of the paucity of fuel, he could not fly up and over the clouds nor he could fly around them to the north or south. But then he decided to take the risk to enter his plane in the clouds because he wanted to go home and wanted to join his family at breakfast. This shows that he was a family-loving person. He was courageous as he knew that it would be risky to enter the clouds, but he did so in order to save his fuel.

2. Your friend was the pilot who was flying from Paris to England when he was lost in the storm clouds. Narrate his experience to your family and tell them how he was rescued by a strange black plane and its pilot.

Ans. Last week, my friend, who is a pilot had a mysterious experience.

During his flight from Paris to England, he was lost in the storm clouds. His compass, radio and other instruments had gone dead. He did not know which direction to go. He was lost and panicked (too much frightened).

Then, he saw a strange black aeroplane without lights on wings, flying near his plane. Its pilot lifted one hand, waved and signalled my friend to follow him. He guided my friend through the storm clouds and helped him land safely when my friend looked back to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane, he found neither the pilot nor the aeroplane.

When he asked the control about the strange black plane and its pilot. The reply was, no other plane was seen on the radar except his Dakota. Then who rescued him? There was no answer. It was a mystery.

3.”Everything was going well. It was an easy flight.” What went wrong suddenly?

Ans. The flight of old Dakota started in Paris and headed towards England. It was an easy flight, the sky was clear and the weather fine. When it reached 150 km away from Paris, it suddenly confronted huge black storm clouds. He had limited fuel only to take him to England. He could go back to Paris but he decided to take the risk and go through the storm clouds because he wanted to spend the holiday with his family.

In the storm clouds, it was pitch day. His compass, radio and some other instruments stopped working. He could not contact Paris control room to know the direction. Suddenly he saw a black aeroplane. Its pilot guided and brought him safely out of storm clouds. He saw the runway and landed at the airport.

4. The author asks a question at the end, “Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane?” Try to answer this question.

Ans. “The Black Aeroplane’ is an interesting story. The writer is a pilot. One day, he was returning from France in his Dakota aeroplane. He was going to England. Suddenly, he saw huge storm clouds on his way. He had not much fuel in his plane. So he could not fly around the clouds. He took a risk and entered the clouds. His compass and other instruments failed. His radio also went out of order. The writer’s life was in danger. Suddenly, he saw a black aeroplane near him. The pilot of the plane gestured him to follow him. The writer followed him and landed his plane safely. But when he looked back, he did not find the black aeroplane anywhere. The woman at the control tower told him that there had been no other plane that night. Then who saved the writer’s life? Who was the pilot of the black aeroplane? The writer had no answer to these questions. Thus it is a mysterious story.

5. Describe the flight of the pilot before he encountered dark clouds.

 Ans. The writer of this story is a pilot. One night he was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France. It was a starry night. He was going to England. He hoped to spend his holiday with his family. It was an easy journey and he was in a joyful mood. He looked at his watch. It was one thirty in the morning. Through his wireless, he contacted the Paris Control. They told him to turn twelve degrees west. He did as he was advised to do. He was 150 kilometres from Paris. Suddenly the writer saw huge black clouds before him. It was not possible to fly up and over the clouds. He had not much fuel with him. So it was not possible to fly around the big mountains of clouds to the right or left. He decided to take the risk and flew his aeroplane straight into the clouds.

6. How was the writer rescued?

 Ans. The writer flew his aeroplane into the big dark clouds. As he entered the clouds, everything suddenly went black. He found that his compass had ceased to work. He tried to contact the Paris Control for directions. But he was shocked to find that his radio had also stopped working. Suddenly, the writer saw a black aeroplane near him. He could also sec the pilot in it. The pilot waved the writer to follow him. He followed the black aeroplane like an obedient child. Now it was half an hour since the writer had been follow-, the black aeroplane. He was worried because the fuel in his plane could last only five or ten minutes. But just’ then the black aeroplane started to go down and the writer followed it. Suddenly the writer was out of the doods. He could see the lights of the runway of the airport. The writer landed his Dakota aeroplane. In this, may, he was rescued.

7. Why and when did the narrator say that ‘everything was going well it was an easy flight’?

Ans. After the old Dakota left Paris 150 kilometres behind, it enjoyed smooth sailing in the air. Everything was going well. The narrator was enjoying rather an easy flight. The moon was coming up in the east and stars were shining in the clear sky. The aeroplane was flying up above the sleeping countryside. It was flying over France back to England. The narrator was dreaming of his holiday and looking forward to being with his family. He contacted Paris control. He was asked to tum 12 degrees west. He looked at his watch. It was only thirty in the morning. It was only after he had left Paris 150 kilometres behind when he faced the terrible storm clouds. Before this, it was really an enjoyable and safe journey.

8. The narrator had two options of avoiding the terrible storm clouds. Why didn’t he use them? Was his decision of flying straight into storm clouds a sound decision? Give a reasoned answer.

Ans. The narrator could see black mountains of clouds all around him. They were storm clouds. He had two options and by using them he could avoid the terrible storm clouds. He could go back to Paris. He had left Paris 150 kilometres behind. He wanted to go back but the temptation of having an early breakfast at home stopped him. He couldn’t fly up and above the storm clouds either. He didn’t have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south.

It seems that flying back to Paris would have been the best option in those circumstances. He couldn’t fly north and south of the storm as he hadn’t enough fuel in the second tank. His decision of flying straight into the storm clouds was motivated by his having an early English breakfast with his family. It was rather a bold but risky decision. He would have been in deep trouble, had the pilot of the strange black aeroplane not helped him to safety.

9. Describe the appearance of the strange black aeroplane in the most hopeless situation. How did the pilot of the black aeroplane help the narrator to come out of the storm clouds and land safely?

Ans. The narrator was really in deep trouble. The huge mountains of black clouds were around him. The old Dakota aeroplane was jumping and twisting in the air. His compass was dead. The other instruments were dead too. Nothing worked for him. Even his efforts to contact Paris control failed. The radio was dead too. In such a hopeless situation, the sudden appearance of a mysterious black aeroplane was like God’s sent help for him. There were no lights on the wings of that black aeroplane. The narrator could see the pilot’s face. He was saying “Follow me”. The narrator was totally lost. He thought that the pilot was trying to help him. So he followed the black aeroplane like an obedient child. He was frightened as he had fuel enough to last for five or ten minutes. Suddenly, he came out of the clouds. He saw two long straight lines of lights in front of him. It was a runway. “An airport!” he cried. He was out of danger and could land safely. He turned to look for his rescuer in the black aeroplane, but the sky was empty.

10. Who was the rescuer in the strange black aeroplane? Did the lady in the control room help the narrator in knowing anything about the man who helped him to land safely?

Ans. Who saved the narrator when he had lost all contacts on the radio with Paris control? Who was the pilot of the black aeroplane who helped the narrator to land safely without a compass, without the radio and without much fuel? These questions remained unsolved puzzles. Even the lady in the control room couldn’t detect any other plane on the stormy night other than the old Dakota on the radar. The mysterious pilot of the black aeroplane was like God’s help sent to the narrator to land safely. The narrator was in real trouble before the mysterious black aeroplane appeared near him. He was lost among the mountains of black clouds in front of him. To make things worse his compass became dead. The other instruments became dead too. He couldn’t contact Paris control as the radio was dead too. God knows what would have been his condition, had the pilot of the black aeroplane not guided him out of storm clouds to safety.