Lmois Aca year 2020-21

Class 10 English Study Material

First Flight Chapter 3
Two Stories about Flying

Story II The Black Aeroplane

About the Characters

The Narrator A pilot who was flying his Dakota aeroplane over France back to
England lost his way due to storm.
The Unknown Friend A pilot who was flying the black aeroplane helped the
narrator to find the way in the storm.
The Woman The working woman in the control centre whom the narrator asked
about the unknown friend of the black aeroplane.

Summary

The author says that he was flying an aeroplane at 1 o’clock at night. The moon
was coming up in the east behind him. Stars were shining in the clear sky above
him. He was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over France, back to England. He was
dreaming of his holiday. He was looking fprward to being with his family.
He decided to call Paris control. He then radioed to it. He told it that he was on his
way to England. Paris control duly acknowledged. It advised him to turn twelve
degrees west.
He duly turned to that direction. Everything was going well. Paris was about 150
kilometres behind him. Then he saw the storm clouds. They looked like black
mountains in front of him. He knew he could not fly up and over them.
He decided to go back to Paris. But he also wanted to get home. So, he took the
risk and flew into the storm. He could see nothing outside his aeroplane.
Everything was black. The old aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air. He looked
at the compass. It was gone. He tried to contact Paris control. He was lost in the
storm.
Then in the black clouds he saw another aeroplane. It had no lights on its wings.
Lmois Aca year 2020-21

He could see it flying next to him in the storm. He was glad to see another person.
He was signaling to follow him. The author thought he was trying to help him. So,
he followed him. He flew for half an hour. He had fuel to last for five or ten
minutes. He began to feel frightened. Then he started to go down.
Suddenly he was on the runway. He looked for his friend in the black aeroplane.
He wanted to thank him. But the sky was empty. He went into the control tower.
He asked a woman where he was. She looked at him strangely and then she
laughed. She told that there was no other aeroplane except his.
The author was wonderstruck. He wondered who had helped him to arrive there.
He was without a compass or a radio and without any more fuel in his tanks, who
was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm without lights.

Chapter Highlights

1. The clear sky with shining stars

2. The author was about to meet his family at breakfast.
3. At 1:30 in the morning, author flew in his Dakota aeroplane and he was
instructed to turn 12 degrees West by Paris Control.
4. He was around 150 kilometre away from Paris.
5. The cloud storms approached him.
6. He decided to enter the storm.
7. A risky decision of the author due to his willingness to see his family.
8. He lost the way in the storm.
9. All the instruments stopped working.
10.A black aeroplane appeared by the author side in the storm.
11.He was instructed to follow the black plane.
12.Without much fuel he flew for half an hour.
13.He landed safely on the runway.
14.He went out from his aeroplane to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane.
15.Got surprised not to find anyone there in the aeroplane.
16.The author asked the woman of Control Tower about the black aeroplane.
17.She laughed and replied in negative about such a plane.
18.A miracle with no explanation for the author which saved his life.

Answer the questions that follow:

Lmois Aca year 2020-21

1.Describe the sky when ‘Dakota’ took off from Paris.

2.‘I’ll take the risk ? What is the risk ? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take
it?
3. What difficulties did the narrator face while flying in the storm ?
4. A pilot is lost in the storm clouds. Does he arrive safe ? Who helps him ?
5. What shocked the narrator after landing safely ?
6. From the beginning to the end of the lesson the black aeroplane is a mystery.
How ? (100-120 words)
7. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Throw a light on his feelings and emotions at that time.
8. How did the author come out safely from the black clouds ?

Questions and Answers

1.Describe the sky when ‘Dakota’ took off from Paris.
When ‘Dakota’ took off from Paris, the sky was quite clear. The moon was
coming up in the east and the stars were shining. There were no clouds in the sky.

2. ‘I’ll take the risk ? What is the risk ? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it
? The risk was of flying the old Dakota airplane into the storm. The pilot took it as
he^ wished to reach home as soon as possible and to be present at the breakfast
table.

3.What difficulties did the narrator face while flying in the storm ?
The difficulties that the narrator faced were that all the instruments of his aeroplane
were stopped working. He could not see any thing as there were dark clouds all
around.

4.A pilot is lost in the storm clouds. Does he arrive safe ? Who helps him ?
Yes, the pilot arrives safe on the runway. He is helped by another pilot of a
mysterious plane. He vanishes soon after the narrator landed on the airport.

5. What shocked the narrator after landing safely ?

Lmois Aca year 2020-21

The narrator was shocked to land safely after struggling against the black storm.
Besides, he wanted to thank the other pilot who showed him the way, but he
toowas seen nowhere.

6. From the beginning to the end of the lesson the black aeroplane is a mystery.
How ? (100-120 words)
The narrator started his journey with old Dakota – 088. At that time, the sty was
clear. But suddenly, he found himself in the midest of black clouds. There was zero
visibility, everything was black. He couldn’t find any way to escape. All of a
sudden, the narrator saw a black aeroplane and was helped by the other pilot. He
safely landed at the airport but no one saw the black aeroplane. It remains a
mystery till the end.

7. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Throw a light on his feelings and emotions at that time.
The narrator was in a hurry to reach England although he had little fuel. He felt
home sick and missed his home. So, he took the risk to fly on low fuel. Suddenly,
he lost contact with Paris due to cloudy storm. Just then a black aeroplane
appeared. He was helped by the mysterious pilot and was able to land safely.

8. How did the author come out safely from the black clouds ?
The author took the risk of flying through the black clouds. He couldn’t see
anything. The aeroplane jumped and twisted up every now and then. All his
instruments had stopped working. Suddenly, he saw another plane with no lights on
its wings. The other pilot gestured him to follow his plane and guided him till they
had landed safely out of the clouds.

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