Notes On Two Stories 2

TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING

"Black Aeroplane"  by Frederick Forsyth

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Q.1) “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

Ans:- The risk was to fly through the black storm clouds. The narrator took the risk because he wanted to reach Paris to celebrate Christmas with his family.

Q.2) Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.

Ans:-  As he flew into the storm, everything went black. It was impossible to see anything outside the plane. It jumped and twisted in the air. When he looked at his compass, he saw that it was turning round and round. It was dead. Along with it, the other instruments, including the radio, were also dead. Suddenly, he saw another aeroplane. Its pilot waved at him, asking him to follow. He was glad to find a helper. He was using his last fuel tank and there was only enough fuel to fly five or ten minutes. Then, the other pilot started to go down and he followed. He suddenly came out of the clouds and saw the runway, on which he then landed his plane safely.

Q.3) Describe the atmosphere when narrator was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England.

Ans:- When the narrator was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England, the moon was coming up in the east, behind him, and stars were shining in the clear sky above him. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. He was happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside.

Q.4) What are the questions remained unanswered for the narrator?

Ans:- The questions remained unanswered for the narrator are:

        A. Who helped him to arrive there safely without a compass or a radio, and without any more fuel in his tanks? 

        B. Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm, without lights?

Q.5) Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?

Ans:- After landing, the narrator was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota because he had a horrific and scary experience flying that plane. He was happy that he had landed the plane safely. That is why he was not sorry to walk away. Instead, he wanted to know where he was and who the other pilot was.

Q.6) What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?

Ans:- The narrator had asked the woman in the control centre about the identity of the other pilot. She looked at him strangely as there was no other plane in the storm. She told him that no other plane was flying that night. His was the only plane she could see on the radar.

Q.7) Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.

Ans:- Probably, it was the narrator’s own self that helped him through the storm. There was no other plane in the storm as the woman at the control centre could see only his plane on the radar. Also, no other plane was flying that night. In his fear, he might have been hallucinating. He was a good pilot, and it might have been his own self that came to his help.

Q.8) Do you agree that the story ‘The Black Aeroplane’ is a mystery? Justify.

Ans:- A pilot was flying in his Old Dakota plane. It was very clear sky and the flight was easy. He was dreaming of holiday with his family. Suddenly he saw black storm clouds in the sky. He had limited fuel so he could neither fly over the clouds nor go back to Paris. He flew straight into the storm clouds. Everything was black there. Instruments of the aeroplane stopped working. Suddenly he could see another black aeroplane. The pilot of the aeroplane guided him through the black clouds. He came out of the clouds and could see the light of the runway. The pilot of the Dakota wanted to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane and went to the control room. But nobody had seen that black aeroplane. It was really a mystery.