BLACK AEROPLANE (FROM TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING)

Prose from class 10
BLACK AEROPLANE
from two stories about flying
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1. THE BLACK
AEROPLANE :
-FREDERICK FORSYTH

2. Black Aeroplane: Introduction

❖The lesson “Black Aeroplane” by Frederick Forsyth reflects on how one’s
judgement gets distorted due to fantasizing and how it creates problems. In this
chapter, the narrator is a pilot who is so eager to meet his family and have a
good breakfast that he takes the wrong decision of facing the storm instead of
doing the right thing. Miraculously, he somehow manages to escape with the
help of a mysterious aeroplane.

❖The lesson “Black Aeroplane” is based on the theme that there is a divine
power that controls and guides human effort. Actually, aeroplanes are never
black. The author has used “black” as an element to arouse the curiosity of the
reader. Also the presence of black colour makes the story gripping and is used as
an element of mystery.

3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR- FREDERICK FORSYTH :

❖Frederick McCarthy Forsyth was born on 25
August 1938.
❖ He is an English author and journalist.
❖ He is also a former spy and a political
commentator.
❖ His father was a furrier (who used to sell fur
clothing).
❖He did his schooling in England and later
completed his university education at Spain.
❖ Before becoming a journalist he worked as a pilot
in Royal Air Force

HIS WORKS : The Day of the Jackal, The Dogs of War,
The Shepherd, The Fist of God, The Fourth Protocol,
The Afghan, The Cobra, and many more.

4. ❖The sky was clear when the author was flying his old Dakota DS 088 aeroplane
over France to England.
❖ He was dreaming of his holiday and looking forward to being with his family
and thought to take good breakfast with his family.
❖The author has the purpose to call Paris Control to know the direction of the
route. So he switched on the radio and said, “Paris Control, Dakota DS 088
here. Can you hear me? I’m on my way to England. Over.”
❖The voice from the radio answered him immediately as “DS 088, I can hear
you. You ought to turn twelve degrees west now, DS 088. Over.”
❖Everything was going well — it was an easy flight.
❖Paris was about 150 kilometres behind him when he saw the huge, black,
mountain, storm clouds in front of him across the sky.
❖Everything was suddenly black. The author could not see anything outside the
aeroplane.
STORY IN POINTS :

5. ❖He ought to go back to Paris, but he wanted to get home. He wanted that
breakfast with his family. He decided to take the risk, and flew that old Dakota
straight into the storm.

❖The old aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air. The compass, radio and other
instruments suddenly stopped working.

❖Then, in the black clouds quite near him,
he saw another aeroplane. It had no lights
on its wings, but he could see it flying
next to him through the storm.

❖He turned his aeroplane slowly to the
north, in front of author’s Dakota, so that
it would be easier for the author to follow
him.

6. ❖Suddenly the author came out of the clouds and
saw two long straight lines of lights in front of
him.

❖It was a runway! An airport! He was safe!

❖The author turned to look for his friend in the
black aeroplane, but the sky was empty. The
black aeroplane was gone. He could not see it
anywhere.

❖He went and asked a woman in the control
centre where he was and who the other pilot
was.
DAKOTA

7. ❖She looked at the author very strangely, and then laughed. She said, “Another
aeroplane? Up there in this storm? No other planes were flying tonight. Yours was
the only one I could see on the radar.”

❖So who helped the author to arrive there
safely 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?

8. The story conveys the message that courage is guided by faith. The pilot of the
Dakota plane was an experienced flier yet he panics when the plane gets engulfed
by the black storm. The story also gives the message that one must never give up
in the face of unfortunate and unfavourable times. We should face difficulty with
courage and should not lose hope.
MESSAGE :

9. 1.Why was the aeroplane twisting in the air?
(a) As it was dark night
(b) As it was a stormy night
(c) Due to lightning
(d) None of the Above
QUESTIONS :
Answer: (b) As it was a stormy night.
2.Why didn’t the pilot turn the aeroplane back
towards Paris?
(a) He wanted to meet his family
(b) He wanted to go on a holiday
(c) He did not want to miss the breakfast
(d) He did not like Paris
Answer: (c) He did not want to miss the breakfast

10. 3. What risk did the pilot take?
(a) flying back to Paris
(b) missing the breakfast he desired
(c) he took no risk
(d) flying his old Dakota straight into the storm
Answer: (d) flying his old Dakota straight into the storm
4. The pilot was flying from _____ to _____.
(a) England, France
(b) England, India
(c) France, England
(d) France, India
Answer: (c) France, England

11. 5.Who is the author of “The Black aeroplane”
(a) Liam O’ Flaherty
(b) Frederick Forsyth
(c) Roal Dahl
(d) Paulo Coehlo
Answer : (b) Frederick Forsyth
6. Which control station did he contact on his way?
Answer : Paris

13. PRESENTATION BY

BHARATHI ARUN