Black aeroplane Flashcards
“I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
The pilot of Dakota DS 088 plane was keen to reach home in England to spend a holiday with his family. On the way, his plane was engulfed in a huge storm of black clouds. So, he decided to fly straight into the storm as he did not want to miss the opportunity to meet his family for a good big English breakfast. Thus, he took the risk of flying through the storm even when the visibility was almost nil.
Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
As the pilot (author) entered the big storm of clouds, his plane started to jump and twirl in the air. He could not see anything outside the plane as it was engulfed in the midst of storm clouds that were completely black. When he looked at the compass and other instruments, they had stopped functioning due to the turbulent weather. It was a fearsome and frightening experience for the pilot. The fuel tank of his plane was also almost empty and he could not fly more than ten minutes in it. Suddenly out of nowhere, he saw another black aeroplane with no lights on its wings appeared by his side and the pilot of that plane beckoned him to follow. The narrator obediently followed the other black plane that was having no light. He followed the strange black aeroplane without any choice through the storm and soon landed on the runway safely.
Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
The pilot was delighted to land safely after being caught in a dense storm of dark clouds and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota. He was filled with gratitude for the pilot in the other black aeroplane and desperately wanted to thank him for helping him in such a fearsome situation. He was indeed feeling sorry that he could not thank his benefactor enough for helping him land on the runway safely.
What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
The woman in the Control Centre looked at the narrator strangely because when the narrator mentioned the black aeroplane that helped him land safely on the runway. She gave him a surprised look and told him that no one except the narrator’s plane was in the sky during the storm. Even the radar reflected the narrator’s plane as the only one in the night sky.
Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
There is no definite answer to express who was the unknown pilot who helped the narrator. We can assume that probably it was the narrator himself who overcame his fear in the midst of a storm as no other plane was visible in the radar except the narrator’s Dakota DS 088. In that frightening situation, the pilot might have fantasized that someone came to his help. However, it is evident that he was a good pilot himself who was brave enough to fly through a dense and turbulent storm and land on the runway safely.
Study the sentences given below.
(a) They looked like black mountains.
(b) Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black.
(c) In the black clouds near me, I saw another aeroplane.
(d) The strange black aeroplane was there.
The word ‘black’ in sentences (a) and (c) refers to the very darkest colour. But in (b) and (d) (here) it means without light/with no light.
What happened when the author turned the aeroplane twelve degrees west towards England?
The author saw the huge storm clouds that looked like black mountains standing in front of him across the sky.
Explain the statement: ‘I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child.
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.
Why did the pilot think of going back to Paris?
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.
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?
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.
Why could the woman in the control room not help the pilot of Dakota?
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.
Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.
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.
Recount the experience of the pilot of the Dakota inside the black clouds.
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.
HOW did the black aeroplane rescue the first pilot?
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.
Why did the writer feel frightened once again?
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.
