What were the two straight lines as narrated by the writer in the story The black aeroplane

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Thinking about the Text ( Page 40)

Q1. ‘I’ll take the risk.’’ What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

Ans Risk here refers to not flying back to Paris when he came to know about the storm. Despite being aware of the bad weather, the pilot headed straight into the storm and risked the lives of his fellow passengers. The pilot’s decision making was clouded by his wish to meet his family and join them to have English breakfast which he had been dreaming all day.

Q2. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.

Ans: The narrator was frightened as he lost control of the plane. He felt helpless as the compass and the other instruments had stopped working. Nothing outside the aeroplane was invisible when suddenly in the midst of nowhere, an unknown plane was visible and the pilot was eager to help him. The narrator was panicking because there was very less fuel left. However, he managed to escape the storm with the help of the strange pilot who came to his rescue out of the blue.

Q3. Why does the narrator say, ‘ I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…?

Ans: The narrator had landed at an unknown place as his compass and radar had stopped functioning in the storm. He was not scared to leave the plane unattended and go to control centre to enquire about the mysterious plane which had helped him out of the storm.

Q4 What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?

Ans: The woman in the control centre looked at the narrator strangely when he asked about the other pilot that helped him escape from storm. This is because there was no other plane in the sky during such bad weather.

Q5. Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reason for your answer.

Ans: It means that the pilot’s own conscience which helped him out of the storm. There was no other plane out on that stormy night. So probably, he was hallucinating as a pilot, which led him out of that black cloud.

Extra Questions

Q1.What did the author see in the black clouds near him? Why did he follow it?

Ans: Just when the author thought that he was lost in the storm, he saw another aeroplane in the black clouds. It was flying next to him through the storm. He could see the pilot's face as it was turned towards him. The pilot lifted one hand and waved to the author, signaling him to follow him. The author realized that the pilot was trying to help him, and so he followed him like an obedient child.

Q2. How did the pilot of the black aeroplane help the author out of the storm clouds?

Ans: The pilot raised one hand and waved to the author, as if to say 'Follow me.' He turned his aeroplane slowly to the north, in front of the authors' Dakota, so that it would be easier for him to follow. It flew in front of the author for about half an hour. Then just as the fuel had started to run out, it began to descend. The author followed and suddenly came out of the clouds. He saw two straight lines of light in front of him. They belonged to a runway. The author was about to land and was safe.

Q3. Why did the woman in the control centre look at the author very strangely and laugh?

Ans: the woman in the control centre looked at the author very strangely and laughed because she was surprised at the author's question. There was o other aeroplane flying up in that storm. The author's was the only one she had seen on the radar.

Q4. (i) Why did the pilot call the Paris Control the first time?
 (ii) What was the advice of the Paris Control?
 

Ans :
 (i) The first time, the pilot called the Paris Control Room to enquire about the location of the plane and the route to be followed.
 (ii) The Paris Control advised him to turn twelve degrees west towards England.

Q5. Why did the pilot fly straight into the storm instead of returning to Paris?
 Ans :
 The pilot had a strong desire to get back home and have breakfast with his family. That is why, pilot took the risk and flew straight into the storm instead of going back to Paris.

Q6. Do you think the story ‘The Black Aeroplane’ is a mystery? Do you see some elements of supernatural power in the story? Do you believe in supernatural powers?
 Ans :
 ‘The Black Aeroplane’ by Frederick Forsyth is undoubtedly a mystery. The pilot of the old Dakota plane is trapped in black stormy clouds. Nothing is visible. All the instruments of his plane also stop functioning. Suddenly from nowhere a black aeroplane appears in the cloud. The pilot of the black aeroplane guides him. The plane has no lights on its wings but its pilot is still flying at ease. The first pilot arrives safely at the airport but when he goes to thank the pilot of the black plane, the woman in the control room even denies having seen any other aeroplane on the ‘radar’. This statement leaves the mystery of the pilot of the black aeroplane unfolded. However, there is no element of supernatural power in the story. There is no ghost or spirit in the plot. I don’t believe in supernatural elements like ghosts or spirits.

• To make them believe of the mysteries that exist in this world.
  
• To help them think critically whether such mysteries really exist.
  
• To help them arrive at a conclusion if an aeroplane can fly and land safely even in an odd condition as mentioned in the lesson.
  
• To enable the students share their personal experiences.
  
• To enable them express themselves in grammatically correct language.
  
• To sensitise the students to the feelings of an individual.
  
• To enable the students think of an alternative ending to the story.
  
• To enable them use new words and phrases in their own language.

Compass : Navigational instrument for finding directions. Pilots use compass to find directions in the air. ​Twist: took curved course. The prisoner twisted in discomfort.Runway: a large road that aircraft use to land on or to start flying from. The aeroplane lands or takes off from the runway of the airport.​ ​ Radar : a system that uses radio waves to find out the position of something you cannot see. It is the radar that tells the exact position of flying plane in the air.

• A pilot of old Dakota aeroplane flies in the midnight over Paris (France) towards England.
  
• Dreams of spending holiday with his family.
  
• Wants to have breakfast with his family in the morning.
  
• Unfortunately he passes through huge black clouds.
  
• The compass, radio, other instruments turned dead.
  
• Suddenly he notices a black aeroplane in front of him.
  
• The pilot of the plane instructs him to follow.
  
• He follows like an obedient child but in the meantime his fuel tank gets exhausted.
  
• Suddenly he notices a row of light on the ground.
  
• It is a runway.
  
• He lands safely.
  
• Goes to control room and asks about the other aeroplane. But he is dumbstruck to know that there is no aeroplane noticed on the radar that night.
  
• Many questions remain unanswered, mysterious and unsolved.
  
• Who helps him to arrive there safely without a compass or a radio, and without any more fuel in his tanks?
  
• Who is the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm, without lights?

The black aeroplane, written by Frederick Forsyth is a mystery story. The story revolves around the mystery, ‘who was another pilot?’ 
The narrator was on his way to England hoping to have a good English breakfast with his family. But he saw great storm clouds ahead of him. There were huge, mountain shaped clouds. The narrator risked to enter in the clouds. No sooner he entered in the clouds everything turned black. He saw anther aeroplane without lights on its wings. The pilot waved his hand to the narrator and asked him to follow him. The narrator followed the pilot of another aeroplane as his compass, radio went dead. Even there was not enough fuel in his tank. With the help of another pilot, he landed safely and when he went to receptionist to thank the pilot he was informed by the lady that there was no any other plane flying in the sky that night.

The black aeroplne from Manoj Mishra

Q1: 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.

Q2: What are the questions remained unanswered for the narrator?
Ans: The questions remained unanswered for the narrator are:        1. Who helped him to arrive there safely without a compass or a              radio, and without any more fuel in his tanks? 

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

Q1.   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 his home was beckoning him. He was dreaming of a holiday and looking forward to be with his family. He also wanted to get in time to enjoy a good English breakfast.

Q2.   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.

Q3.   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.

Q4.   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.

Q5.  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.

Working with Language:

Try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’ in the sentences given below. Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right.

1. Go and have a bath; your hands and face are      absolutely black __________.
2. The taxi-driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed     the road when the traffic light was green. __________
3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest     crimes against humanity. __________
4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy.     __________
5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to     create false scarcity and then sell these in black. __________
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue. __________
Answers:
1. The meaning of ‘black’ in this sentence is that the face     and hands are dark with dust and heat.
2. Here, ‘black’ refers to an angry look.
3. Here, ‘blackest’ refers to the darkest and cruelest     crime against humanity.
4. Here, ‘black’ refers to dark and gloomy comedy.
5. The meaning of ‘black’ in this sentence is that the     shopkeepers sell the described goods ‘at a higher price’.
6. Here, ‘black’ means that the criminal suffered     excessive beating at the hands of the villagers.