UNIT -3 Two Stories About Flying

HIS FIRST FLIGHT

Short Answer Type Questions Part 1

1. How did the young seagull’s family celebrate his first flight?

Answer: The young seagull was afraid to fly. Even the encouragement and coaxing
didn’t work. But when the seagull had his first flight, he as well as his family was
happy, relieved and proud of him to have completed his first flight.

2. Flying is a natural act in birds. Then why was the young seagull ‘exhausted by
the strange exercise’?

Answer: The seagull didn’t have the courage to fly. Hence, he used to make excuses
for not flying. He felt certain that his wings were too weak to support him. He had
no courage to flap his wings and failed to muster up the courage to take the plunge.
3. What was the young seagull’s experience during his first flight?

Answer: Falling from the ledge, the seagull was terrified, but soon he started soaring
and then flying. He forgot that he didn’t always know how to fly. His fear soon turned
into confidence, and then into amusement. As he was landing, he was again afraid,
but, soon became at ease. It was a memorable first flight.

4. How did the young seagull’s parents treat him initially when he did not fly?

Answer: First, his parents encouraged him, coaxed him then scolded and taunted him
for his cowardice. They even threatened to let him starve if he did not fly. But the
young seagull could not muster up the courage to fly.

5. Young seagull tried to fly but he could not. Why was he afraid to fly?
Or
Why could the young seagull not fly with his brothers and sisters?
Answer: The young seagull felt certain that his wings were too weak to support him.
He had no courage to flap his wings. Even when each one of his brothers and sisters
whose wings was much shorter than his, ran to the brink of the ledge, flapped their
wings and flew away, he failed to muster up the courage to take that plunge.

6.What did the young seagull do to attract the attention of his mother?
Or
While alone on the ledge, how did the little seagull tried to draw the attention of his
family?

Answer: He came slowly up to the brink of the ledge and stood on one leg. He hid
the other leg under his wing. He closed one eye and then the other and pretended to
be falling asleep. Thus he tried to attract the attention of his mother.

7. When did the seagull’s flight begin? And where did it end?

Answer: The young seagull’s flight started when he dove trying to snatch the piece
of fish from his mother’s beak. He fell down but instinctively his wings spread out,
he flapped them and started flying. His flight ended after half an hour when he landed
on the green sea with his family.

8. When did the seagull’s flight begin?

Answer: The seagull was very hungry. When he saw his mother bringing food in her
beak, he dived towards her. But he fell from the brink of the ledge. He screamed with
fear. But his fear lasted only for a moment. The next moment he felt that his wings
spread outwards. He was flying now. Now he screamed with joy.

9. Where did the seagull’s flight end?

Answer: The seagull was very happy as he had learned how to fly. He kept flying
for some time. His parents, brothers and sister flew around him. Then they landed
on the sea surface. The seagull also came down. When he tried to land, his legs sank
into the sea. He cried with fear again. But then his belly touched the water. He did
not drown. He started floating on the surface of the sea. Thus his first flight ended.

10. When did the seagull get over his fear of the water?

Answer: After flying for some time, the seagull saw that his parents and brothers and
sister were sitting on the surface of the sea. He came down and landed on it. But his
legs sank into it. He cried with fear. However, his belly touched the surface and he
did not drown. Now the seagull got over his fear of the water.

11.How did the young seagull’s parents teach him the art of flying

Answer: The seagull’s parents encouraged him to fly. But he was too afraid to fly.
Then they kept him hungry for twenty-four hours. Even then the seagull did not fly.
Then they thought that experience would teach him. So they made him fall from the
ledge. Now when he fell, he felt his wings spread and started flying.

Long Answer Type Questions Part 1

1. Compare and contrast the young seagull in the beginning and at the end of the
lesson. You can use the words given in the following box.

frightened coward terrified desperate afraid

impatient confident joyous triumphant amused

Answer: In the beginning, the seagull is a coward. He lacks confidence. The time
has come when he should fly. His parents try to teach him how to fly. But he is too
afraid to fly. He refuses to fly. His parents leave him alone on the ledge. They
threaten him that he would starve. His brothers and sisters make fun of him. They
call him a coward. Even then the seagull does not fly. However, he falls from the
rock when he tries to get the fish from his mother.
The next moment he flaps his wings and starts flying. Now he is full of confidence.
He starts crying with joy. He flies higher and higher. He is no longer afraid. He
overcomes his fear of the water also. He finds that he can float on the surface of the
seta. His family members praise him and give him pieces of fish to eat. In this way,
there is a difference in the behaviour of the seagull at the beginning and end of the
story.

2. Describe the methods used by the seagull family to help the young seagull
overcome his fear and fly.

Answer: This story is about a young seagull. The time had come when he should fly
like his parents and brothers and sister. But he was afraid to fly. His parents tried
their best to teach him how to fly. But he refused to fly. They left him alone on his
ledge. They threatened him that he would starve. Even then he was too afraid to fly.
His brothers and sister made fun of him. They laughed at his cowardice.

At last, his mother thought of a plan. She took a piece of fish in her beak and flew
towards him. She came near him but did not land on the ledge. The young seagull
was very hungry. He came to the brink of the ledge. In order to get food, he dived at
the fish. But he fell from the rock. He became terrified. But it was only for a moment.
The next moment, he flapped his wings and started flying. In this way, his mother
was able to make him fly.

3. What message does the story ‘His First Flight’ convey?

Answer: This is an imaginary story. The story conveys the message that we learn by
taking courage and not by sitting idle. A young seagull is fed lovingly by his parents.
But when the time comes for him to fly, he feels afraid. His parents try many tricks
to teach him to fly. But he is so afraid that he refuses to fly.

At last, his mother hits upon a plan. She tempts him with food in her beak. But she
only flies near his ledge and does not land there. In order to get food, the hungry
seagull comes to the edge of the rock and falls from it. At first, he is terrified but
then he opens his wings and starts flying. He is happy to note that he did not fall in
the sea. In this way, the young seagull makes the first flight of his life when he takes
courage.

4. When did the seagull’s flight begin and where did it end?
Or
Describe how the young seagull Or made his maiden flight.

Answer: The seagull was very hungry. When he saw his mother bringing food in her
beak, he dived towards her. But he fell from the brink of the ledge. He screamed with
fear. But his fear lasted only for a moment. The next moment, he felt that his wings
spread outwards. He was flying now. Now he screamed with joy. The seagull was
very happy as he had learnt how to fly. He kept flying for some time. His parents,
brothers and sister flew around him. Then they landed on the sea surface. The seagull
also came down. When he tried to land, his legs sank into the sea. He cried with fear
again. But then his belly touched the water. He did not drown. He started floating on
the surface of the sea. Thus the seagull made the first flight of his life.

5. What happened after the seagull had learnt how to fly?

Answer: The seagull came to the brink of the ledge in order to get the fish from his
mother. But his mother remained in the air. a little away from the ledge. The seagull
dived at the fish. But he fell from the rock into space. He cried with fear. But this
fear lasted only a moment. The next moment, he flapped his wings. He was surprised
to find that he was flying. He screamed with joy. He soared higher and higher. His
parents flew around him. They praised him for learning how to fly.

Then his parents, brothers and sister landed on the sea. They beckoned the young
seagull to come to them. The seagull dropped his legs and came down on the surface
of the sea. He had thought that the surface of the sea was green flooring. But his legs
started sinking into the water. He again screamed with fear. However, his belly
touched the water and he did not drown. He started floating on the water. His family
members were also happy. They gave him pieces of a fish to eat.
6. The young seagull found it difficult to fly for the first time. He felt that his wings
would never support him. Was it not in his attitude to accept the challenges? Did he
lack courage? Discuss the values that can help people accept challenges in life.

Answer: The young seagull’s brothers and sisters had started flying the previous day.
However, he himself was unable to muster the courage to fly. He lacked confidence
and felt that his wings wouldn’t support him. However, I do not think that facing
challenges was a problem for him. Still, he did lack courage. To accept and
successfully face challenges, one must be fearless, determined and have clarity of
thought and action. Also, the support of those around us can play a big role, as in the
seagull’s case.

7. The mother of young seagull picked up a piece of fish but still did not come nearer
to give him. Why did she do so? Did she lack love for her son or she wanted to make
him courageous? What values does the mother depict through her act? Write in 100-
120 words.

Answer: The young seagull was terribly afraid to fly. His parents encouraged him to
make his first flight. But he could not do so. Then, the mother picked up a piece of
fish but did not go near to give him. The seagull was extremely hungry. He started
crying so that his mother would give him some food. But after coming towards him,
the mother stopped opposite to him but almost within his reach. When the seagull
dove to get the piece, she swooped upwards. Maddened by hunger, the young seagull
spread his wings upwards and started flying. This shows that the mother wanted her
son to become courageous. This shows that sometimes parents take such harsh steps
for their kids which may appear wrong at that time but later prove to be beneficial
for their kids.

8. Was the young seagull same at the beginning and at the end of the lesson?
Compare and contrast the two kinds of the same seagull in the lesson.

Answer: No, the young seagull was not the same bird at the beginning and at the end
of the lesson. In the beginning, the young seagull used to be all alone on his ledge.
His two brothers and his sister had flown away the day before. He had been afraid
of flying with them. Whenever he tried to flap his wings, he was seized with fear.
He felt certain that his wings would never support him. His father and mother flew
around calling him shrilly. They were constantly scolding and taunting him. They
were threatening to let him starve on his ledge unless he flew away.

However, the young seagull was more confident and sure of his success in the end.
Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. After trials and errors, his wings spread
outwards. He was soaring gradually downwards forgetting all his hesitations and
fears. He could float on the ocean now. His success was welcomed by his family.
They were praising him now and their beaks were offering him their scraps of dog-
fish.

9. ‘All parental acts are for the betterment of the children.’ It is true. However, one
has to make efforts through trials and errors shedding off one’s early hesitations and
fears to succeed in any enterprise. Justify this statement by taking points from the
lesson ‘His First Flight’.

Answer: There is no doubt about it ‘All parental acts are for the betterment of the
children’. It is the ardent wish of every parent that they may teach all skills to their
young ones so that they may succeed in life. First of all, they can learn all the things
which their parents have taught in life. If the young ones don’t act then they also
indulge in scolding, taunts and humiliating them to shed off their hesitations and
fears. This is exactly what the parents of the young seagull did. They were successful
in teaching the art of flying to his two brothers and sister. They also tried their best
to embolden him to take the plunge. Particularly, the mother-seagull went on flying
around him with a piece of fish in her beak. It was her attempt to tempt her starving
son to dive at the fish. And she succeeded in her aim. The young seagull did dive at
the fish and it led to his success in the end.

10. ‘Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish,’ says the narrator about the young
seagull. Do you feel hunger was the main motivating force that made the young
seagull take the plunge that taught him how to fly in the air?
Answer: Food is the most essential ingredient that sustains all life — of humans,
animals as well as birds. Hunger motivates many of their actions. The young seagull
used to sit all alone on his ledge. Whenever he tried to flap his wings to fly, he was
seized with fear. He felt certain that his wings would never support him. He had seen
his older brother catch his first herring and devour it.

It compounded his helplessness even more. He uttered a joyful scream when he saw
his mother holding a piece of fish in her beak and flying quite near him. He wondered
why she didn’t come to him and offer that piece of fish to him. Maddened by hunger,
he dived at the fish. With a loud scream, he fell outwards and downwards into space.
Then a monstrous terror seized him but only for a minute. The next moment he felt
his wings spread outwards. He began to soar downwards towards the sea. The fear
left him. He began to float on the sea. His admiring family offered him pieces of fish
flying around him.

11. Describe the humiliation and taunting that the young seagull faced from his
family when he used to sit alone on his ledge without mustering his courage to fly in
the air.

Answer: The young seagull used to sit on .the ledge all alone. He used to see his two
brothers and sister flying around him. They had learnt flying only the day before.
Not that he didn’t try before. He had come to the edge of the ledge and tried to flap
his wings. But he became afraid soon. He felt certain that his wings would never
support him. So he bent his head and ran away to the little hole under the ledge. His
brothers and sister had far shorter wings than his own. But they succeeded flapping
their wings and flew away.

He failed to muster his courage to take the plunge. His father and mother flew around
him scolding and taunting him. They also threatened to let him starve on his ledge
unless he flew away. The thing that compounded his agony was that his elder brother
had caught his first herring and devoured it. His parents circled around his brother
raising a proud cackle. On the other hand, the family had walked down the opposite
chiff taunting him with his cowardice.
12. Hesitations and fears play necessary parts in human life but we get success in
any enterprise only when we overcome our doubts, hesitations and fears. Justify this
statement in light of the young seagull’s efforts to muster the courage to fly in the
air.

Answer: Nothing in life can be taken for granted. Skills have to be learnt in life with
your own efforts. Parents can only help in teaching and encouraging us to learn
things. But we have to learn them through our own efforts of trials and errors. Who
doesn’t suffer from hesitations and fears in the beginning? It takes time to take the
final plunge. So it happened with the young seagull.

In spite of constant encouragements and motivations, he couldn’t muster the courage

to fly. He was certain that his wings would not support him. He faced regular taunting
and humiliations of his family. They even threatened to let him stare at the ledge
unless he flew away. But they say that necessity is the mother of invention.
Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish which his mother was carrying in her beak.
He felt his wings spreading outwards. Finally, he soared to come down over the sea.
When he floated on the sea, his family celebrated his success by offering pieces of
fish to him.

THE BLACK AEROPLANE

Short Answer Type Questions Part 2

1.Explain the statement: ‘I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like
an obedient child.

Answer: 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.

2. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it?
Answer: The risk is that of going through the storm in the narrator’s old Dakota
aeroplane. He flew through as he did not have fuel to fly around them, and couldn’t
fly over them. Also, he wanted to get home for a big English breakfast.

3. Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.

Answer: 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.

4.. Recount the experience of the pilot of the Dakota inside the black clouds.

Answer: 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.

5. How did the black aeroplane rescue the first pilot?

Answer: 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

6.Was the pilot of the Dakota able to meet the pilot of the black?

Answer: No, he was not able to meet the pilot of the black aeroplane. When he was
going to land his plane, he looked behind him. But the black plane was not there.
The sky was empty. The woman at the control centre told him that no other planes
were flying on that stormy night.

7. Why did the writer feel frightened once again?

Answer: 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.

8.Why was the narrator happy and what was he dreaming of?

Answer: It was a clear and cloudless night. The moon had come up in the east. Stars
were shining above. The narrator was happy. He was flying high up above the
sleeping countryside. He was dreaming of his holiday and being with his family.

9. What did he find when he checked the map and the compass?

Answer: The narrator checked the map and the compass. He switched over to his
second and last fuel tank. He turned the Dakota twelve degrees west towards
England. He thought that he would be in time for breakfast. Everything was going
well and it was an easy flight.

7.. Why didn’t he return to Paris when he saw the storm clouds?

Answer: Paris was 150 kilometres behind him when he saw the storm clouds. They
were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of him. He could not
fly up and over them as he didn’t have enough fuel. He thought of going back to
Paris but changed his idea. He decided to go to England to be in time for breakfast.

8.The narrator had two options before risking himself entering the storm clouds?
Why didn’t he choose them?

Answer: Definitely, the narrator had two options before him if he didn’t want to take
the risk of entering the storm cloud. He could turn back and go to Paris which was
about 150 kilometres behind him. Another option was to fly up and over the dark
clouds. But he didn’t choose any of the options. He wanted to be in England to have
his breakfast in time. He couldn’t fly around the clouds to the north or south as he
didn’t have enough fuel to fly.
9.What did he do when he was inside the clouds?

Answer: The narrator took the risk of entering the black storm clouds. Inside them,
everything was suddenly black. Nothing could be seen outside. The old plane
jumped and twisted in the air. He couldn’t believe his eyes when his compass was
dead. His other instruments didn’t work and were dead too. He tried to contact Paris
control on the raids but received no answer.

10.How was the narrator lost in the storm clouds and what did he try to do to come
out of them?

Answer: The narrator had entered the storm clouds. Nothing was seen outside.
Everything suddenly turned black. The old plane jumped and twirled in the sky. He
looked at the compass. It was dead. He tried other instruments but they also refused
to work. He tried the radio to contact Paris control but no answer came from there.

11 Who rescued the narrator when he was hopelessly lost in the storm clouds?

Answer: There seemed no hope for the narrator. He was hopelessly lost in the storm
clouds. His compass and other instruments were dead. Even Paris control didn’t
respond. In such a hopeless situation, the narrator saw another aeroplane flying next
to him. It had no light on its winds but he could see the pilot’s face. The pilot came
to his help. When he said “Follow me,” the narrator followed him like an obedient
child.

12.How and when did the narrator feel that he was safe now?

Answer: When the pilot of another plane came to the narrator’s help, he was
extremely happy. When he said “Follow me,” the narrator obeyed him like an
obedient child. The strange black aeroplane was still guiding him. The narrator got
worried as the old Dakota had petrol enough to fly for five or ten minutes. Suddenly
when he was going down, he found himself out of clouds. He saw two long straight
lines of lights of the runway. There was an airport where he could land safely.
13. Did the narrator meet the pilot of the black aeroplane? How did he and his
aeroplane disappear in the sky?

Answer: No, the narrator didn’t meet his rescuer. When he was out of the storm
clouds, he looked back. He found no trace of the aeroplane. Nor did he see the face
of the pilot. Only God knows where they disappeared. Even the control room
couldn’t record their presence.

14. Why did the narrator want to meet the woman in the control tower? Did he get
any information about the mysterious disappearance of the black aeroplane and its
pilot?

Answer: The narrator didn’t know how the pilot and the black aeroplane disappeared
in the space. He wanted some definite information from the woman in the control
room about them. She told him that on that stormy night no plane was in the sky
except his old Dakota. So, the narrator didn’t know anything about the mysterious
man who helped him to arrive safely without a compass or a radio.

Long Answer Type Questions Part 2

1. The narrator made every possible endeavour to save himself. He did not lose hope
in dire situations. What values helped him endure the critical situation bravely?
Discuss in 100-120 words.
Or
The narrator knew that he could not fly up due to storm and lack of fuel but still, he
continued. What kind of person was he? Was it not in his nature to accept defeat?
Discuss the values one should possess to accept failures to be able to move ahead in
life in 100-120 words.

Answer: The author’s plane did not have enough fuel. He knew that because of the
paucity of fuel, he could not fly up and over the clouds nor he could fly around them
to the north or south. But then he decided to take the risk to enter his plane in the
clouds because he wanted to go home and wanted to join his family at breakfast.
This shows that he was a family-loving person. He was courageous as he knew that
it would be risky to enter the clouds, but he did so in order to save his fuel.
2. Your friend was the pilot who was flying from Paris to England when he was lost
in the storm clouds. Narrate his experience to your family and tell them how he was
rescued by a strange black plane and its pilot.

Answer: Last week, my friend, who is a pilot had a mysterious experience.

During his flight from Paris to England, he was lost in the storm clouds. His
compass, radio and other instruments had gone dead. He did not know which
direction to go. He was lost and panicked (too much frightened).

Then, he saw a strange black aeroplane without lights on wings, flying near his plane.
Its pilot lifted one hand, waved and signalled my friend to follow him. He guided
my friend through the storm clouds and helped him land safely when my friend
looked back to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane, he found neither the pilot nor
the aeroplane.
When he asked the control about the strange black plane and its pilot. The reply was,
no other plane was seen on the radar except his Dakota. Then who rescued him?
There was no answer. It was a mystery.

3. “Everything was going well. It was an easy flight.” What went wrong suddenly?
Or
Describe the flight of the Dakota aeroplane until it landed safely at the airport.

Answer: The flight of old Dakota started in Paris and headed towards England. It
was an easy flight, the sky was clear and the weather fine. When it reached 150 km
away from Paris, it suddenly confronted huge black storm clouds. He had limited
fuel only to take him to England. He could go back to Paris but he decided to take
the risk and go through the storm clouds because he wanted to spend the holiday
with his family.

In the storm clouds, it was pitch day. His compass, radio and some other instruments
stopped working. He could not contact Paris control room to know the direction.
Suddenly he saw a black aeroplane. Its pilot guided and brought him safely out of
storm clouds. He saw the runway and landed at the airport.
4. The author asks a question at the end, “Who was the pilot on the strange black
aeroplane?” Try to answer this question.

Answer: “The Black Aeroplane’ is an interesting story. The writer is a pilot. One day,
he was returning from France in his Dakota aeroplane. He was going to England.
Suddenly, he saw huge storm clouds on his way. He had not much fuel in his plane.
So he could not fly around the clouds. He took a risk and entered the clouds. His
compass and other instruments failed. His radio also went out of order. The writer’s
life was in danger. Suddenly, he saw a black aeroplane near him. The pilot of the
plane gestured him to follow him. The writer followed him and landed his plane
safely. But when he looked back, he did not find the black aeroplane anywhere. The
woman at the control tower told him that there had been no other plane that night.
Then who saved the writer’s life? Who was the pilot of the black aeroplane? The
writer had no answer to these questions. Thus it is a mysterious story.

5. Describe the flight of the pilot before he encountered dark clouds.

Or
Describe the flight of the Dakota aeroplane until it landed safely at the airport.

Answer: The writer of this story is a pilot. One night he was flying his old Dakota
aeroplane over France. It was a starry night. He was going to England. He hoped to
spend his holiday with his family. It was an easy journey and he was in a joyful
mood. He looked at his watch. It was one-thirty in the morning. Through his
wireless, he contacted the Paris Control. They told him to turn twelve degrees west.
He did as he was advised to do. He was 150 kilometres from Paris. Suddenly the
writer saw huge black clouds before him. It was not possible to fly up and over the
clouds. He had not much fuel with him. So it was not possible to fly around the big
mountains of clouds to the right or left. He decided to take the risk and flew his
aeroplane straight into the clouds.

6. How was the writer rescued?

Answer: The writer flew his plane into the big dark clouds. As he entered the clouds,
everything suddenly went black. He found that his compass had ceased to work. He
tried to contact the Paris Control for directions. But he was shocked to find that his
radio had also stopped working. Suddenly, the writer saw a black aeroplane near
him. He could also sec the pilot in it. The pilot waved the writer to follow him. He
followed the black aeroplane like an obedient child. Now it was half an hour since
the writer had been follow-, the black aeroplane. He was worried because the fuel in
his plane could last only five or ten minutes. But just’ then the black aeroplane started
to go down and the writer followed it. Suddenly the writer was out of the doods. He
could see the lights of the runway of the airport. The writer landed his Dakota
aeroplane. In this, may, he was rescued.

7. Why and when did the narrator say that ‘everything was going well, it was an
easy flight’?

Answer: After the old Dakota left Paris 150 kilometres behind, it enjoyed smooth
sailing in the air. Everything was going well. The narrator was enjoying rather an
easy flight. The moon was coming up in the east and stars were shining in the clear
sky. The aeroplane was flying up above the sleeping countryside. It was flying over
France back to England. The narrator was dreaming of his holiday and looking
forward to being with his family. He contacted Paris control. He was asked to turn
12 degrees west. He looked at his watch. It was only thirty in the morning. It was
only after he had left Paris 150 kilometres behind when he faced the terrible storm
clouds. Before this, it was really an enjoyable and safe journey.

8. The narrator had two options of avoiding the terrible storm clouds. Why didn’t he
use them? Was his decision of flying straight into storm clouds a sound decision?
Give a reasoned answer.

Answer: The narrator could see black mountains of clouds all around him. They were
storm clouds. He had two options and by using them he could avoid the terrible
storm clouds. He could go back to Paris. He had left Paris 150 kilometres behind.
He wanted to go back but the temptation of having an early breakfast at home
stopped him. He couldn’t fly up and above the storm clouds either. He didn’t have
enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south.
It seems that flying back to Paris would have been the best option in those
circumstances. He couldn’t fly north and south of the storm as he hadn’t enough fuel
in the second tank. His decision of flying straight into the storm clouds was
motivated by his having an early English breakfast with his family. It was rather a
bold but risky decision. He would have been in deep trouble, had the pilot of the
strange black aeroplane not helped him to safety.

9. Describe the appearance of the strange black aeroplane in the most hopeless
situation. How did the pilot of the black aeroplane help the narrator to come out of
the storm clouds and land safely?

Answer: The narrator was really in deep trouble. The huge mountains of black clouds
were around him. The old Dakota aeroplane was jumping and twisting in the air. His
compass was dead. The other instruments were dead too. Nothing worked for him.
Even his efforts to contact Paris control failed. The radio was dead too. In such a
hopeless situation, the sudden appearance of a mysterious black aeroplane was like
God’s sent help for him. There were no lights on the wings of that black aeroplane.
The narrator could see the pilot’s face. He was saying “Follow me”. The narrator
was totally lost. He thought that the pilot was trying to help him. So he followed the
black aeroplane like an obedient child. He was frightened as he had fuel enough to
last for five or ten minutes. Suddenly, he came out of the clouds. He saw two long
straight lines of lights in front of him. It was a runway. “An airport!” he cried. He
was out of danger and could land safely. He turned to look for his rescuer in the black
aeroplane, but the sky was empty.

10. Who was the rescuer in the strange black aeroplane? Did the lady in the control
room help the narrator in knowing anything about the man who helped him to land
safely?

Answer: Who saved the narrator when he had lost all contacts on the radio with Paris
control? Who was the pilot of the black aeroplane who helped the narrator to land
safely without a compass, without the radio and without much fuel? These questions
remained unsolved puzzles. Even the lady in the control room couldn’t detect any
other plane on the stormy night other than the old Dakota on the radar. The
mysterious pilot of the black aeroplane was like God’s help sent to the narrator to
land safely. The narrator was in real trouble before the mysterious black aeroplane
appeared near him. He was lost among the mountains of black clouds in front of him.
To make things worse his compass became dead. The other instruments became dead
too. He couldn’t contact Paris control as the radio was dead too. God knows what
would have been his condition, had the pilot of the black aeroplane not guided him
out of storm clouds to safety.

What Is The Theme of Part-II Black Aeroplane