CBSE Class 10 English The Black Aeroplane Notes Set 01

About the author and the story

The Black Aeroplane is the second part of the chapter Two Stories about Flying in First Flight. It was written by Frederick Forsyth, an English author and journalist who is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal. The story is told in the first person by a pilot, and it mixes adventure with an unexplained mystery.

Plot in sequence

1. The narrator is flying an old Dakota aeroplane through the night, from France towards England. Below him the cities are asleep and he feels calm and cheerful.

2. He is eager to get home. He daydreams about a long holiday with his family and about a hot, tasty breakfast.

3. Over Paris he notices thick black clouds ahead. A careful pilot would have turned back, but he does not want to lose time, so he decides to fly on.

4. The aeroplane enters the storm. It becomes pitch dark, the instruments stop working, the compass and fuel gauge give wrong readings, and he loses all sense of direction.

5. At this moment he sees another aeroplane flying close to him. It is a black aeroplane, and its pilot waves for him to follow.

6. The narrator follows the black plane through the storm. The sky slowly becomes lighter, and the clouds are left behind. The fuel is almost finished.

7. The black aeroplane disappears. The narrator lands safely at the airport. When he asks the woman in the control room about the other pilot, she says that no other aeroplane was in the sky that night. He is left puzzled.

Theme and message

1. Dreaming about pleasant things can cloud judgement. The narrator knew that flying into a storm was wrong, but his wish to get home made him ignore the danger.

2. Safety must come before speed or comfort. Good decisions need a clear and alert mind.

3. The story also leaves the reader with a mystery. The rescuing plane may have been a miracle, a trick of the mind, or something that cannot be explained, and the author leaves this open.

Character sketch of the narrator

The narrator is an experienced pilot, but he is careless in this journey. He is a dreamer, he puts his own wishes before the safety of his aeroplane, and he stays calm and obedient when real danger arrives. He is also grateful, which is why he wants to meet the pilot who saved him.

Important words and ideas

1. Dakota: the type of aeroplane the narrator was flying.

2. Control tower: the place on an airport where staff guide the take-off and landing of aeroplanes.

3. Fantasising: imagining pleasant things instead of paying attention to the present.

4. Mystery: something that has no clear explanation.

Typical exam questions with model answers

Q. Why did the narrator not turn back when he saw the clouds? He was in a hurry to reach home and enjoy a holiday and breakfast with his family. He let this wish decide for him, and he ignored the clear warning of the weather.

Q. How did the black aeroplane help him? It appeared when the narrator had lost control, and its pilot signalled him to follow. By following it, he came out of the storm and reached the airport safely.

Q. Why was the narrator surprised at the end? The controller told him that his was the only aeroplane in the sky. This meant that the black aeroplane could not be explained by any normal reason.

Tip for the board exam: begin an answer with a direct statement, add one or two supporting details from the story, and end with the lesson that the author wants to give.

Quick Check Questions