English Notes: The Black Aeroplane

The Black Aeroplane

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About the Author:

Frederick Forsyth is a British author. He is born on August 25, 1938. He is a successful author who wrote several best-selling thriller novels. Some of his novels are made as Hollywood films.

Introduction:

“Black Aeroplane” by Frederick Forsyth is about a pilot who loses his way to England while flying solo from Paris. He comes across huge storm clouds. He decides to take the risk to go through the clouds as he is not having enough fuel either to go around the clouds or to fly over the clouds. Sadly, his instruments like radar, radio, and compass do not function. He is flying without any support. He is worried about his safe landing and reaching home. Suddenly, an unknown pilot appears in a black aeroplane and guides him to a safe landing. The mystery deepens as the receptionist tells the pilot that there is no other plane flying in the area on a stormy night.

Black Aeroplane Summary:

The story “Black Aeroplane” is about a lone pilot who is flying from Paris to London alone in an old Dakota plane. He hopes to reach his home in London for breakfast. He encounters dark clouds after leaving Paris. He takes a risk and goes through the clouds instead of going back to Paris as he wants to enjoy an English breakfast and to be with his family. He cannot fly around the clouds or fly above the clouds as his fuel is not sufficient. Once in the clouds, his instruments stop working and he is unable to guide the plane towards London. In the hopeless moments, he sees a black aeroplace, whose pilot leads him to a safe landing. The unknown pilot disappears soon after landing. The lady in the control room informs him that there is no other plane in the sky on the stormy night.

Vocabulary:

Compass = A navigational instrument for finding directions.

Twist = took a curved course.

risk = a situation involving exposure to danger

Runway = a large road that aircraft use to land on or to start flying from.

Radar = a system that uses radio waves to find out the position of something you cannot see.

Frightened = terrified

Followed = chased

Obedient = one who obeys (behave in accordance with)

Glad = happy

Theme:

The black aeroplane, written by Frederick Forsyth is a mystery story. The story revolves around the mystery, ‘who was the pilot in the black aeroplane?’

The narrator was on his way to England hoping to have a good English breakfast with his family. He was flying an old Dakota plane alone. He came across great storm clouds ahead of him. As he was not having enough fuel either to fly around the clouds or to fly over the clouds, he risked entering into the clouds. He lost his instruments like the compass and his radar and radio stopped working. He was flying directionless without any support after he entered into the clouds. He was worried about his safe landing. He saw another aeroplane without lights on its wings. The pilot waved his hand to the narrator and gestured him to follow the black aeroplane. The narrator followed the pilot as an obedient child. With the help of the pilot in the black aeroplane, he landed safely. The narrator wanted to thank the unknown pilot and asked the receptionist about his particulars. The lady receptionist informed him that there was no aeroplane flying in the vicinity because of bad weather.

Short Answer Questions with Answers:

1. Why was the narrator happy in the beginning of the story?

The narrator was happy in the beginning of the story because the sky was clear. He was alone above in the moonlit sky and over the sleeping countryside.

2. What was the make of the narrator’s aeroplane?

The narrator was flying an old Dakota aeroplane. Its call sign was Dakota DS088.

3. Where was the narrator going?

The narrator was going to London.

4. Why did the narrator think that it was an easy flight?

The narrator thought that it was an easy flight because he was on time and the sky was clear. Everything was going on smoothly.

5. What is a compass?

Compass is a navigational instrument. It shows directions. It is used by pilots and sailors.

6. When did the narrator first see the clouds?

The narrator first saw the clouds after flying about 150 kilometers from Paris.

7. Why the narrator could not fly around the clouds?

The narrator could not fly around the clouds as he was running low on fuel.

8. What was the risk the narrator had taken?

Instead of flying back to Paris, the narrator had decided to venture through the stormy clouds to reach London.

9. What made the narrator take the risk?

The narrator’s enthusiasm to reach home as early as possible to be with his family and his desire for an English breakfast made him take the risk.

10. What happened once the narrator’s aeroplane was in the clouds?

Once the narrator’s aeroplane was in clouds, everything went dark. Instruments like compass stopped working. The old aeroplane twisted and tossed in the clouds.

11. When did the narrator see another plane?

The narrator saw another plane soon after he his instruments stopped working and realized that he had lost his way.

12. Why the narrator was glad to see another person?

The narrator was glad to see another person because he was helpless and alone in storm clouds.

13. How could the narrator think that the other pilot was trying to help him?

The narrator thought that the other pilot was trying to help him as because the other pilot had waved at him and started leading him.

14. Why the narrator was happy to follow the strange aeroplane?

The narrator was happy to follow the strange aeroplane as he had no other means of navigation and he was unable to know his whereabouts in the dark clouds.

15. Why the narrator was starting to feel frightened again?

The narrator was starting to feel frightened again as he had left with fuel to fly only five or ten minutes.

16. When was the narrator frightened for the first time?

The narrator was frightened for the first time soon after his instruments stopped working and he lost his way.

17. How did the narrator know that he was near a runway?

The narrator knew that he was near a runway as he saw two horizontal lines of lights below.

18. Why did the woman at the control tower look at the narrator strangely?

The woman at the control tower looked at the narrator strangely because it was not possible for another plane to be flying on the dark, stormy night.

19. Why was the woman at the control tower so sure that there was no other plane flying on that night?

The woman at the control tower was very sure that there was no other plane flying on the night because she saw only the narrator’s plane in the radar.

20. Did the narrator reach London?

We cannot be sure whether the narrator had reached London or not. Probably, the narrator had landed on an airport which was nearby London. The narrator wanted to ask the woman at the control tower where he was.

Textual Questions and Answers:

Q1. I'll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

The risk was to fly through the black storm clouds. The narrator took the risk because he wanted to be in his home. 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.

As he flew into the storm, everything went black. It was impossible to see anything outside the plane as it was very dark. His old Dakota plane jumped and twisted in the air. His compass was turning round and round. It was dead. Along with it, the other instruments, including the radio, were stopped working. Suddenly, he saw another aeroplane. Its pilot waved at him, gesturing him to follow. He was glad to find a helper. He was running out of fuel. The pilot in the black aeroplane guided him. Soon the other pilot started to go down and the narrator followed. He suddenly came out of the clouds and saw the runway. He landed safely.

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

After landing, the narrator was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota because he had a horrible and fearsome 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 landed. He also wanted to thank the other pilot who guided him.

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

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.

Probably, the narrator’s own skills as a pilot had helped him through the storm. It was evident that there was no other plane in the storm. The woman at the control centre could see only his plane on the radar. No other aircraft might be flying in the vicinity because of the bad weather. The narrator might have been hallucinating as he was terrified and anxious. He might have imagined a helper to calm his mind used his training and skill set to land safely.

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 sorrowful 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.

Match the phrases given under Column A with their meanings given under Column B:

A	B
Fly a flag	Move quickly/suddenly
Fly into rage	Be successful
Fly along	Display a flag on a long pole
Fly high	Escape from a place
Fly the coop	Become suddenly very angry